The Young Master, Bedeviled
by Silvia Grace
Summary: Due to ailing health, Young Master Ciel decides to take a leave of absence from the manor in a cottage by the sea. All is well until Ciel contracts a fever and is sentenced to bedrest. But his dreams become haunted by a malign spirit who makes attempts on his life. What reason could there be for this sudden haunting? And how can Ciel and his Butler be rid of this murderous pest?
1. Chapter 1: The Earl, Exhausted

**Dear Reader: Welcome to my first ever fan fiction! I do hope that it's not too verbose... I sometimes get a little carried away with my affection for words. Thank you for your viewing! I hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

Earl Phantomhive rubbed his throbbing temples with the heels of his hands as he poured over yet more customer complaints of a newly manufactured toy train. The train was fitted with patented Steam Power technology and was meant to function the way a normal train would. The tender possessed three compartments- one for a tea light candle, one to hold a small amount of water, and another that housed a miniature version of a steam engine. In theory, one would only have to fill the water tank and light the candle. The heat then from the fire would boil the water, the pressure created by the heat from the boiled water would power the piston, the piston would power the rods, the rods rotated the wheels, and the steam would pass through the train's pipe causing it to whistle while emitting something akin to smoke- a happy little replica of a real life passenger train. Along with this quirky function, the model itself was beautiful, or so Ciel felt. It was a pale blueish-grey with glossy black filigree snaking along its sides. The seats inside, which were completely habitable by a doll or toy soldier, were rusted red, the floor was made to mock hardwood, and the walls were royal purple damask. The various rods of the black iron wheels were golden and polished just so to resemble real twenty-four karat. In short, Ciel was quite proud of this model train, so long had been since Funtom Company had the heart, or the gull, to make another since the original.

But unfortunately, few people seemed to derive as much entertainment from it as Ciel had. For the past week after its inital release, the little company owner had been receiving numerous customer complaints from unhappy buyers. Some said that the wheels would continuously stick, some said the rods were jaunty, some said the train would only move three inches before stopping, on and on it went. An example: "I have been a loyal customer for years. I have always found Funtom products to be top quality and imaginative, and I was so excited to bring this train home to my daughter. But when I finally managed to light the wick (for the thing was so waxy it would not hold flame) the train refused to move! I have never been one to complain but, frankly, I expected more." And another: "Never before have I seen my son bored by a Funtom product. How disappointing." Still another: "Funtom products have always been ahead of the curve in design and innovation, but even the _look_ of the train isn't inspired! Nothing at all like Phantomhive Senior would have designed." And so on.

Ciel slammed the papers down on his desk and leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. Still massaging his temples, he closed his eyes and tried to regulate his distempered breathing. "It's fine," he comforted his anxieties out loud, "these are just a few disgruntled customers out of the hundreds, surely, that were pleased. We'll shake off their silly negations the way we always have." Just then there was an unobtrusive knock on his study door.

"Your tea, Young Master," Sebastian announced from the hallway.

Ciel sighed again, a bit more freely. "Come in," he answered. The door opened and the tea cart was wheeled in, carrying a red and white pastoral-scene tea set and an unindentifiable, but most likely delectable, sweet treat.

"For this afternoon's tea I have prepared for you Wuyi Shan oolong, straight off the boat from China by way of a certain Mister Lau, alongside of smoked peaches with jasmine cream over an almond shortcake."

'It's all worth it,' Ciel thought to himself. He sat up eagerly in his chair and put his hands to either side of his head again. The speed with which he moved irritated his nagging headache.

Sebastian tilted his head to one side and frowned. "Another headache, sir?" he asked.

Ciel took a moment to recover from the pain before replying with, "Yes, unfortunately. But it's no matter."

"Are you quite sure? This is the third time this week that you have complained of a headache."

"You've been keeping track?" Ciel asked flatly as he raised an eyebrow. He moved the customer reports off to the side to make room for tea snacks.

"Of course," the Butler smiled. He leaned over and poured the steaming tea from the teapot's long, thin spout into the delicate china cup, and placed the cup and its matching saucer on the cleared desk. "It is my duty as your servant to keep track of your Lordship's health- especially considering your immune system is weakened to begin with." He placed the plate of peaches next to the tea.

"I have asthma," Ciel said defensively. "What of it?"

"Nothing of it, sir," Sebastian patiently answered. "I am only concerned for you well being. A reoccuring headache could be a sign of a more serious condition."

Ciel rolled his eyes and sipped at his tea. It was smooth and earthy with a clean, slightly sweet finish. His pluckish nerves were considerably soothed. Ah, tea. His favourite form of self-medication.

"The only condition I'm suffering with at the moment is annoyance," he told the Butler. He placed the cup down with a small _clink_ and began with the peaches.

"May I ask what is bothering you, my Lord?" Sebastian asked.

"These damned customer complaints," Ciel said, his mouth half full of partially masticated peaches. "Honestly. Is it really _that difficult _to operate a toy train? All one need do is light a bloody candle."

"Maybe they purchased a faulty product?" Sebastian suggested.

"All of these people bought faulty products?" Ciel lifted up the small stack of angry letters and let them flop back down again.

The Butler paused. "... Perhaps there was a flaw in the manufacturing," he said plainly.

"Sebastian. I simulated the product myself and tested it a dozen or more times before I sent the blueprint off to the factory. I detected zero flaws."

"Might I see the original blueprint?" Sebastian asked. "If it would not be a great trouble to you, sir."

Ciel wavered, fork full of shortcake in midair, before he consented and retrieved the blueprint file from the bottom left drawer of his desk. He removed the blueprint of the train and handed it off to Sebastian. He took it in his gloved hands and gave it a once over- twice over- thrice over.

"Young Master," he said after a certain length.

"Yes?"

"I notice a slight flaw."

Ciel paused. He looked up from his snack. "Excuse me?"

"I recall you telling me that this was meant to emulate a steam engine. And though it does have all of the correct components, there is a slight disconnect between the drive rod and the coupling rod on the right hand side."

"WHAT?" Ciel snatched the paper away from Sebastian. He searched the page frantically for the supposed "disconnect." A long finger then pointed to something just below where his eyes already were.

"Right there, sir. It would explain why there is an issue with the movement of the train. Because the coupling rods put the wheels into motion, it would make sense that the train would have difficulty moving if there was an issue with one of them."

"I know how engines operate," Ciel glared up at Sebastian. He looked back down at the blueprint. There it was, a tiny gap between the edges of the bits of machinery. He did remember giving orders to his staff to follow his designs to a T, but... really? They couldn't have figured that this little space was a mistake? It was obviously just a chink in Ciel's artistic abilities. But still- he had laboured over the drawing for hours, he had seen the blueprint perfectly in his mind before he even put the pencil to the paper... why... how could he have missed such a miniscule, yet substantially important, detail? "I..." the Earl faultered. His mouth remained open, but no more words were produced.

"I also remember around the same time," the Butler treaded carefully on the words, "that you were speaking with Mister Chlaus again about... certain involvments... along trading lines."

"Yes." Ciel continued staring at his ridiculous mistake.

"You were also planning a surprise birthday party for Lady Elizabeth."

"Mhmm."

"You were also appointed Master of Ceremonies for the Court's annual relay races for the Season."

"Correct."

"And there were several break-ins at the manor."

"What's your point?"

Sebastian sighed. "Perhaps it is in the best interest of your health, physically and mentally, to take a small leave of absence from your duties as Earl and company owner."

"Take a leave of absence!" Ciel started. He returned the blueprint to its original file and placed it back in the drawer. "Don't be absurd. I have too many things to attend to. I can't just walk out on my duties!"

"You would not be walking out, sir," Sebastian said. "It would merely be a short hiatus to recover your health and calm you nerves. If you do not mind me saying so, my Lord, you work too hard for someone your age. Or any age, really."

"I have to," Ciel stated simply. "Who else can be expected to carry out _my_ responsibilties if not myself?"

"There are plenty of capable people at the factory, Young Master," Sebastian continued his persuasion. "That is why, I believe, a manager is hired in the first place- to oversee the employees and ensure that everything runs smoothly."

"And my duties as an Earl?" Ciel asked.

"I am more than sure that Her Majesty values the Young Master's health above his availibility to host social events," the Butler laughed lightly. Ciel thought for a moment. Honestly, the thought of getting away from all of these petty grievances was tempting. But... "I only ask you to think on it, my Lord," Sebastian pressed on. "I do not mean to pressure you, but look at what can come of a distracted, tired mind." He gestured towards Ciel and, indirectly, at his headaches and collected complaints and general exhaustion. Still, Ciel in his pride remained silent. "Perhaps sleep on it," the Butler smiled. He took hold of the tea cart and turned to leave. "If I can no longer be of service, I will take my leave of you. Enjoy your tea, sir." He began wheeling the cart away.

A break from whining customers? A leave of playing the doting fiance? A secure place in the country where he can relax under a false name? No more vapid conversations with soul-numbingly fashionable socialites whilst sipping lemonade in scorching heat and watching grown men tie each other's legs together and racing against the others like loons?

"Sebastian," Ciel called. The Butler paused without turning around. "Find a country home and book it for the coming holiday."

Slight chuckle. "Yes, my Lord."


	2. Chapter 2: The Butler, Accommodating

After setting his affairs straight (as in explaining to Elizabeth his "doctor's ordered" absence, phoning Chlaus to inform him that he may feel secure in carrying out the remaining transactions with Lau, writing Her Majesty, the Queen about his short leave, ordering the Phantomhive Manor servants that while he and Sebastian were away that they should take the lead of Mister Tanaka- and if that means running around the garden with miniature nets in an attempt to capture imaginary butterflies, so be it, as long as they don't break anything, and mailing a revised model train blueprint to the factory along with a rebate for those who purchased the original faulty model) the Young Master and his Butler packed and set out via real life passenger train to a small cottage just an hour and forty-five minutes south of London. From the station, Ciel and Sebastian traveled by way of brougham to the cottage. The weather was pleasantly mild and the lazy breeze carried on it the scent of lavender and seawater. That was the cottage's biggest selling point- it was seated just off the coast along the rocks at the lip of a private beach. The ocean's waves were a bit rough for swimming, but that didn't much bother Ciel. He was never one for swimming but the sound of the waves always helped him sleep.

"I wonder what it is about water that calms humans so," Ciel heard his Butler say from the driver's post. Ciel hadn't realised his eyes had closed until he had opened them. He looked forward and saw Sebastian gazing back at him. "I wonder if it is because the sound of the water reminds them of being in the womb. You do marinate in fluid for nine months."

"Keep your eyes on the road, fool!" Ciel ordered.

"But the road has come to an end, my Lord," Sebastian smiled. "We've reached our destination." The cab came to a stop and Sebastian climbed down from his post. He walked around the side of the carriage and opened the door, bowing his upper half slightly as Ciel stepped out into the open air.

At first, the diminutive appearance of the cottage was off-putting to the Earl, considering he had spent the majority of his short life in sprawling manors and medieval castles, but, he thought, that might actually be a plus. He was there for a change, after all.

"I know that it is quite small, my Lord," Sebastian said as though reading Ciel's mind, "but I figured that the more out of the way the house was, the less likely it would be to receive unwanted visitors. But unfortunately, there is only one floor, so I will be couched on the same level as the Young Master."

"Will you have you own room?" Ciel asked.

"Of course."

"Then it's no problem." Ciel filled his lungs with sea air. "Let us move inside then."

"Yes, sir," Sebastian answered. He lifted their trunks with ease and followed Ciel up the pebbled walkway to the front door of the cottage.

The inside was furnished plainly, but tastefully, with white wicker furniture and sea-faring designs adorning the blankets and hanging in frames on the walls. The place itself seemed to be soaked to the very core with salt water and yet it harboured no smell of mold nor must. In fact, it was as dry and as clean as a sunny sky. It must have been the moisture from the ocean that made the atmosphere feel so dense. Ciel walked through the house, exploring the rooms with his eye. The room he and Sebastian had immediately set foot in upon entering looked like a parlour room, complete with a low tea-table and a settee with cream-coloured cushions and matching armchair. Directly next to that was the kitchen that was tiny and tiled with sandy brown stone.

Ciel chuckled. "Is that kitchen size going to work for you?"

"Ah, it is a bit more compact than what I am used to-"

"A bit? I'm surprised you haven't hit your head on the ceiling yet."

"-but I have worked in much more uncomfortable situations," Sebastian continued. "I am sure it will be more than adequate for our short stay."

"I don't know if I would call it short anymore," Ciel admitted. "I think perhaps I was hasty. Two weeks is a long vacation."

"Not when you have been working yourself to the bone all day, every day for the past three years, Young Master," Sebastian commented. Ciel fidgeted. The last thing he wanted was sympathy. "Please, sir. I really do insist that for these two weeks, or at least during the bulk of them, that you will refrain from thinking about your work."

"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises."

"Fair enough," Sebastian smiled and bowed. The two came on to a bedroom of humble size with a full bed, an oak bureau and closet. Through the dusky blue curtains there was a perfect view of the rocky coast and grassy dunes.

"I'll have this room," Ciel said. "I'm going to change my clothing and then I'll be ready for my tea. I would like to have it on the beach if that's at all possible."

"Of course," Sebastian said. He put Ciel's trunk on the floor at the foot of the bed. "I'll set down my trunk and return to help you prepare."

"That won't be necessary," said Ciel. Sebastian looked him questioningly. "What? I would like to ready myself. Acclimate yourself elsewhere."

"Yes, sir." Sebastian bowed out of the room and shut the door. Ciel walked to the tall window and opened it slightly to let the breeze and sounds inside. Again, he drew in a calming breath.

"Don't think about work. Not right now. You'll be fine." But truthfully, the quiet was already starting to make him feel restless. "No matter how antsy I become, I will not work. Is that even possible? Yes. Yes it is." Another breath. He heard Sebastian's steps pass his door towards the kitchen. "Now, to get dressed." Brown Oxfords, beige short trousers, brown waistcoat, white shirtsleeves. He sat on the edge of the creaky, but very comfortable bed. "Now what?" Ciel thought. He wasn't used to having that much free time. He leaned back on his bed and stretched himself out like DaVinci's "Anatomy of Man." He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the ocean crashing against the coast. Just how would he fill his time? Maybe walk along the beach? Explore the surrounding area? Hop over to the little town for some shopping... read a book that is NOT a part of some academic curriculum... play some violin... write... maybe... sleep... soundly...

-%-

Ciel's eyes opened. Had he fallen asleep? He yawned and looked out the window through the yellow curtains at the village people rolling their oyster-filled carts through the dusty roads. He swung his legs over the side of his king sized bed and stretched out his limbs. Between the steady sounds of the busy town, there was a staccato knock at the front door. Ciel left his room and made his way down the stairs to greet the unknown visitor. He opened the grand oak door and stood face-to-face with... no one. He looked to the left and the right but he was alone, or so he thought at first.

"Hello there, new friend!" A sprightly little voice said. It was akin to the sound of the squeaking, sticky wheels of the fish carts. It was coming from below his nose. Ciel looked down at a small... gnome? Fairy, maybe? It didn't look quite human due to its large pointed ears and slightly scaly grey skin. The small patch of hair on the very top of its head was wiry, white and thin. But it did have all of the other usual human features- two eyes, a nose, a thin-lipped mouth, a set of each upper and lower limbs. It was also wearing a reddish loin cloth around its lower body.

"New friend?" Ciel repeated.

"Well, I hope we can be friends!" The little creature smiled up at him, its friendly expression as warm and welcoming as the weather around them. "What is your name, boy?"

"... Ciel," he answered hesitantly. Not because he distrusted the little creature, but because he had never been very social and this sudden familiarity made him uncomfortable.

"That's a wonderful name! It means 'heaven,' yes? Your eyes are as blue as the sky and you have the face of an angel."

"Sure. And what is your name?"

"You may address me as Inky." The creature bowed its head quickly.

"Ah, well... pleasant to meet you, Inky." Ciel put forward his hand. Inky took it firmly. Its hand was rough, cracked by weather, and was quite a bit larger than one would expect for such a small thing.

"Pleasure to meet you as well, Ciel!" Inky smiled.

Just then, Ciel felt he heard someone calling out to him. He looked behind him and then at the people going about their daily work, but there did not seem to be someone specific seeking his attention. "Did you hear somebody call my name just now?" he asked Inky.

Suddenly, Inky's eyes looked worried. However, they quickly reverted back to their eager brightness. "Well, it's been lovely making a friend of you, Ciel. We really ought to get together and play in the future!" It vanished on the spot before Ciel could counter with another pleasantry.

-%-

"...er... -ng Master..."

Ciel shifted slightly and opened his eyes. Had he fallen asleep?

"Young Master." Sebastian was leaning over Ciel, one hand on his shoulder. Ciel sat up and rubbed his eyes. The room wasn't as bright as it had been when he had first arrived. He looked out through the blue curtains. The sun had just started to set, but it wasn't yet dark enough to skip having tea by the water. "Pardon me for waking you," Sebastian apologised, "but your tea is ready."

"Right, right." Ciel stood up and stretched out his back. "Let's walk down to the beach then."

"Yes, Master."


	3. Chapter 3: The Butler, Conversational

Ciel sat on a sea-foam green blanket sipping Sencha tea from a handless Japanese style cup. The slightly briny taste of the tea melded perfectly with the salty smell of the water. And, rather charmingly, Sebastian had prepared cinnamon biscuits in the form of sand dollars as his snack. The two looked out at the sun beginning to lower itself to the far edge of the ocean, Ciel cross-legged on the blanket, Sebastian standing next to him with his arms by his sides. Ciel looked up at him and sighed.

"Sebastian, sit." He patted the empty spot next to him on the blanket. The Butler looked down at him doubtfully. "Surely you deserve a break as well. Besides, you're making me nervous just standing there like that. We're not at the manor right now. Come, sit." Sebastian did as commanded, stretching out his long spindly legs in front of him. The pair sat quietly like that for a few moments before Ciel said, "Sebastian." The Butler looked over to him. "Do you dream? When you sleep, I mean."

"Of course." Sebastian looked back out at the sea. "It is one of the reasons why I dislike sleeping."

"Why? Do you have nightmares?" Ciel asked.

"No, no," Sebastian answered, shaking his head. "I just find them bothersome. One moment I am resting peacefully, the next moment I have to stop a group of ravenous dog-sized gophers from devouring the kitchen scraps. Simply a nuisance." Ciel laughed shortly as he finished his last sip of tea. Sebastian looked back over at him. "Why do you ask, sir? Did you have a strange dream while you were sleeping?"

"Not quite..." Ciel said slowly. For some reason, he felt odd about mentioning the little creature. "I dreamt that I was in the same place, but everything was different. The cottage was much larger and it was in a fishing village. Nothing as strange as rabid gophers."

"Well, I do not know whether or not they were _rabid_," Sebastian smiled. Ciel looked down at his lap and was quiet again. "Are you sure that's all you dreamt about, my Lord?" Sebastian asked. "You seem bothered by this dream."

"I'm not," Ciel said more defiantly than he meant to.

"If you say so."

More quiet. The ocean was calmer then, but judging by the curls that formed just before the water touched the sand, the undertow was still strong.

"Well, there was something else about my dream," Ciel said. After all, it was just a stupid dream. There was nothing for him to feel so uneasy about.

"Go on." Sebastian turned towards him, his brows pulled together slightly, his eyes narrowed and tinged red from the setting sun.

"Tch. No need to be so stern. It was just a dream." Ciel drew in a breath. "Anyway. In my dream, a little creature comes to the door."

"A little creature?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. It looked a bit like a gnome. It had pointy ears and scales on its skin and big hands. It was incredibly small and had a high pitched voice. It wanted to be friends with me and it said it liked my name."

"And that disturbs you?" Sebastian laughed.

"It doesn't disturb me!" Ciel shot back. "It just... I don't know. It made me feel uneasy, that's all." Sebastian continued laughing behind his gloved hand. "What's so funny?!" Ciel asked.

"Oh, my Young Master," the Butler said, "you are so very anti-social. You are so anti-social, in fact, that you will not humour your guests even in your dreams!"  
"Oh, hush! You wanted to know what was bothering me and I told you. I wish I had not mentioned it." Ciel picked up a biscuit and dropped it back onto the plate again.

"I am only teasing, my Lord," Sebastian said.

"I do not appreciate being teased," Ciel countered, "especially when I was only fulfilling a request. Also, it's inappropriate for you to 'tease' your master. I may have asked you to sit beside me, but you'd do well to remember your true place, Sebastian."

"My apologies, Young Master," the Butler said. He bowed his head. "I did not mean to offend you so." Ciel looked over to him. His head was still lowered and he wasn't laughing anymore. Moments like that almost had Ciel thinking that Sebastian was truly sincere, and maybe in his dark and unholy way, he was.

"Sure," he said.

"Perhaps you felt like this little creature was invading your privacy," Sebastian suggested. "You are here to relax after all. You never meant to entertain anyone."

"Perhaps," Ciel said under his breath. He looked towards the horizon again. It was coming to the point in the day when the surroundings become darker by the minute. The sun was a smouldering orange as it balanced on the ocean's edge. The breeze brought in by the waves had a slight bite that made Ciel shiver.

"We should venture back indoors, my Lord," the Butler cautioned. "This cold air is not good for your health." Ciel nodded and the two stood up, brushing stray sand from their trousers. Sebastian folded up the blanket, packed away the tea things in the wooden basket he had brought and both set back to the cottage, the low glowing sun creating ink black shadows around them.

Ciel stretched and yawned as Sebastian readied him for sleep. As the Butler finished the last button on his nightshirt, Ciel flopped down on his bed and buried himself under the sheets.

"Sleepy, my Lord?" Sebastian asked. Ciel had turned away from him, but he could hear the arrogant smile in his voice.

"Yes, well, apparently I haven been working myself to the bone all day, every day for the past three years," Ciel repeated verbatim.

"I was not teasing you that time, Young Master." The Butler pulled the sheets a little further up Ciel's shoulders. "You deserve some rest. Good night and sweet gnome-free dreams."

Ciel gritted his teeth but quickly turned his focus back to relaxing. After Sebastian's steps had left the room, he rolled onto his back. His bed was just to the right side of the long window and he had a perfect view of an almost full moon. When he sat up a bit, he could even see the moon's wrinkled and twinkling reflection on the ocean's surface. He laid back down, staring at the ceiling before closing his eyes like he did before. As annoying as the Butler could be, he truly did wish for a gnome-free slumber... but why? It's not like its appearance actually meant anything...


	4. Chapter 4: The Earl, Playmate

Ciel was still sleeping when he heard the same woodpecker type knocking at the front door. He sat up and quickly ran down the stairs to answer it. For some reason unbeknownst to him, he was actually... a bit excited to have made a new friend.

"Hello, Ciel!" The gnome hopped up a little as Ciel opened the door.

"Hello, Inky," Ciel smiled. "How are you?"

"Wonderful, Ciel, wonderful!" Inky answered. It pranced past the little Earl and into the house like it was an invited guest, which, Ciel supposed, it was. He had welcomed its company. Inky jumped up and down on the big, plush sofa.

"So!" It began, slightly out of breath from its physical exertions. "What are we going to do today?"

"Well, I don't know Inky. You're the one who said you wanted to play with me. Don't you have any ideas? Stop jumping on the couch."

Inky jumped down and looked up at Ciel. It said, "I thought we could jump around for a little while, but I guess not." Ciel shook his head. Inky made an exaggerated frown. It scratched its thin hair, and held its chin with its pointer finger and thumb. "We could... play hide and seek."

Ciel shrugged. "That's fine," he agreed. "Who hides and who seeks?"

"Let's go in order from tallest to shortest," Inky said. "The tallest one will seek first." Ciel looked slowly around the room and then back to Inky. All Inky did was stand there and stare at him with big pale eyes.

"... I suppose I would start then," Ciel said.

"Hurray!" Inky hopped around playfully. "Alright! You cover your eyes and count until I say I'm ready. And... go!" It started running before Ciel could protest.

'You know, it's been a few years since I've played this game,' Ciel thought, 'but I remember the rules being a bit different. In fact, I specifically recall the phrase, _Ready or not_, here I come! Oh, whatever.' He covered his eyes and started counting. "One... two... three... four..." He had gotten to thirty-seven when he heard a call from far away. He didn't understand the words, but he assumed it was Inky stating its readiness. Judging by the smallness of the voice, Ciel figured Inky had gone quite far, and so he made his way upstairs.

He had gotten to the top of the flight when he heard muffled laughter to his left. He turned and there, right underneath a single drawer table holding an oil lamp, in plain sight, was Inky. It was crouched low with knees up under its chin, eyes closed, and one side of its forehead pressed against the wall, as though it were attempting to become one with the floral wallpaper. It covered its mouth with both hands, attempting to hush bubbly giggling. Ciel wondered if he should continue looking around, just to humour the creature, considering Inky seemed completely unaware of his presence, but he wasn't one to humour others... or so he was _told_.

"I found you," Ciel said.

Inky opened one eye and squinted up at Ciel. "Oh, darn!" it said, huffing a bit. "You found me so quickly!"

Ciel wanted to say, "Well, it wasn't that hard" but he instead said, "I used to play hide and seek all the time. I am a seasoned professional." Humour the guest. If only to prove a point.

"Yes, you are!" Inky agreed. It sprang up to its feet. "Now then, _you_ hide and _I_ seek!" Inky covered both its eyes and started counting unnecessarily loudly. "ONE... TWO... THREE..." Ciel turned and hurried back downstairs as quietly as he could, which was almost silent. He had never been very strong or very fast, but he was always light on his feet.

After looking around for a bit, he found, what he thought, was the perfect hiding place. It was a cabinet beneath the countertop in the kitchen. On the outside, it looked like a set of three cabinets, but on the inside the spaces were all connected- meaning that Ciel could fit inside if he folded himself up a little. He got down on his knees and called to his playmate.

"I'm ready!" He then undid the latch of the far right cabinet, scurried inside and shut the door behind him. He waited quietly in musty darkness. Inky seemed to be taking a long time finding him, when Ciel heard padded footsteps coming into the kitchen. They pitter-pattered one way and then another, stopping sometimes to look in, what Ciel assumed, were stupid places. Inky sighed, exasperated.

"You _are_ hard to find!" It complained. "Can't you give me a hint?"

'Are we playing hide and seek or Marco Polo?' Ciel thought. He considered for a moment not making noise and forcing the gnome to continue wandering, but he was bored of waiting. He tapped lightly on the back of the door nearest him. Suddenly there was a thud just outside of the cabinet door. Obviously, Ciel couldn't see Inky, but he was sure that it had leapt from one side of the kitchen to the other.

"Aha!" Inky said. "I have you!" But instead of the doors being flung open, there was a cheeky little clicking sound followed by laughter that sounded a bit too low to belong to Inky. Ciel hesitated calling out for fear of appearing weak.

After a few moments silence he said, "Inky?" There was no reply. Ciel pushed firmly on one of the doors but it was locked. He moved to the next door over. Locked as well. He squished himself up into a ball in order to turn around and reach the door on the other end (for even though he could fit inside the space, it was still close quarters) and put his shoulder into it. Still, it was securely fastened. His heartbeat quickened but he kept his calm.

"Ha, ha," he said. "Very funny, Inky. Now let me out. It's so dull in here." There was still no reply from the outside. Ciel knocked on the doors. "Alright, that's enough. Unlock the doors, Inky." More quiet. The only sound that reached his ears was the ticking of the grandfather clock at the bottom of the stairs. He knocked louder on the doors. He hated small spaces. He didn't even know why he had crawled into there in the first place. Small spaces made him feel trapped. "Inky, I am being quite serious. Let me out right this instant!" Just then, the clock struck the hour. BONG~! BONG~! BONG~! Every chime reverberated inside of Ciel's skull, one after the other, creating an incessant and unpleasant murmer in his brain. His nerves started jumping beneath his frail skin like needles on a spastic sewing machine. He felt his stomach begin to turn and his body temperature was mounting. He started pounded on the doors with both fists. "Inky, you vile little bastard! Open this door at once! I command you!" The door then was quickly whipped open, and Ciel fell into a pair of long, black clothed arms.


	5. Chapter 5: The Earl, Feverish

Ciel gagged as he was caught by Sebastian. The Butler quickly helped him to his feet and hurried him down the hall. Ciel's vision had become fuzzy, but as he felt cool marble beneath his feet, he knew that Sebastian had lead him to the toilet. Good thing as well. Ciel dropped to his knees and wretched into the porcelain bowl. Even though he was obviously awake, he was still experiencing the panic that had stricken his dreaming state. He tried to say something. What he wanted to say, he wasn't sure, but it didn't much matter. Sebastian hushed him as he soaked the handkerchief he usually kept in his breast pocket in cold water and laid it on Ciel's neck.

"Try to take an even breath, Young Master," Sebastian said gently, "it will calm you down. Come now. Breathe." Ciel forced himself to draw in one uninterrupted breath between the other hiccough-like ones. "Good," Sebastian said. "Now another." That continued for a few more tense minutes before Ciel's vision cleared and his heart rate returned to a steady pace. Ciel sat back and leaned his head against the wall. Sebastian took the handkerchief from around Ciel's neck and wiped Ciel's mouth. "Perhaps tea on the beach was not the best idea," he mused while he cleaned the Master's face. "It appears that you have come down with a fever."

Ciel moaned. "Of course," he said. "Murphy's Law, yes?"

The Butler laughed. "It looks that way."

Ciel continued breathing slowly. Should he tell Sebastian about his dream? 'No, that's pointless,' Ciel told himself. 'He's either going to mock me again or make a metaphor out of it. It's better to keep it to myself.'

"I shall call a doctor in the morning," Sebastian said. He stood to moisten the soiled cloth with more cool water.

"That won't be necessary," said Ciel. He put his hand to his forehead and felt the cold sweat and feverish skin. "The whole point of this excursion was to relax. So that's what I'll do."

"I do not think that ignoring this is such a good-"

"Don't call a doctor," Ciel ordered before Sebastian could finish. "I've gotten a fever once before and all the doctor told me I could do about it was sleep and eat plenty of broth soup."

Sebastian seemed unsure. "And what if this is connected to your headaches?"

Ciel shrugged. "Then it's even more important that I rest."

The Butler kneeled down beside Ciel and wiped his forehead. "I supposed so," he agreed reluctantly. "But if this fever doesn't break by tomorrow evening, then I will have to call a medical professional."

Ciel shook his head and sighed. "Fine." Pause. "What time is it?"

"Midnight, sir," the Butler answered.

"Damn!" Ciel swore. That meant that he would have to go back to sleep.

"What is the matter, my Lord?" Sebastian asked.

"I can't relax after being this bothered," Ciel said. Which, for the record, was partially true.

"Would you like me to entertain you until you can calm down?" Sebastian asked. "There is a chess board in my room that I could bring to you. I could also make you some ginger tea to help settle your stomach."

"That sounds fine," Ciel agreed. He allowed Sebastian to help him to his feet and they walked back to Ciel's room.

He paced the floor while the Butler boiled the ginger root. Obviously, Inky was a cerebral manifestation of Ciel's anxiety. Like Sebastian said- there he was, minding his own business, trying to "lay low," if you will, in _no mood_ to entertain anyone, when, lo and behold, he came down with a nasty fever. From the beginning he had doubts about that extended leave, and he was worrying himself sick about it. Ah. The human brain in overdrive. And of course, the one thing he needed to do in order to overcome all that was the one thing he couldn't do. Just a dream it may have been, but Ciel was dreading going back to sleep.

Sebastian came back into the room with a small green mug full of steaming liquid. "I added a bit of raw honey to it so it would not be as spicy," he said. He handed the mug to Ciel. It was still spicy, but not the kind that made his lips and throat burn unpleasantly. Just enough to leave a slight tingling in his mouth. There was a quiet moment in which Sebastian set up the chessboard and Ciel slowly sipped his tea while lying in bed. Then it happened.

"So, my Lord," Sebastian began carefully, "may I inquire as to how you found yourself locked in a cabinet?"

Ciel choked on his tea. He was really in the cabinet? Was he actually acting out his dreams? Or was Inky truly... "No, that's ridiculous," Ciel accidently said out loud.

Sebastian's eyes widened as he said, "Excuse me?"

"Er." Ciel thought of how to quickly recover, but his fevered brain was too muddled.

"I understand that you ordered me not to, but I think that a doctor could-"

"No!" Ciel snapped.

The Butler instantly silenced himself. The Young Master was yet again putting him in the awkward position of potentially harming him by following an order. Fevers have the tendency to warp human minds- and truth be told, the Young Master's mind was warped to begin with... from working so hard. And other reasons.

Sebastian sighed. "Yes, my Lord," he reluctantly obeyed. He finished the chess set up and sat on the edge of the bed. "Now then," he attempted to change the subject and lighten the mood, "let us see if some focus will calm your mind. I will play black."

Ciel thought about explaining the real reason why he was hiding, but he had never been the type to explain himself. Besides, the tea was already starting to make him feel better. Or at the very least, his stomach had stopped revolting against him. He then turned his full attention to a game in which he knew he wouldn't end up jammed inside a cabinet.


	6. Chapter 6: The Earl, Mischievous

**Note to the Readers: This chapter may be a bit triggering for those of you who do/have self-harm(ed). Don't worry, it's not quite what you think, but I thought that you should all be made aware.**

* * *

Ciel awoke in his king sized bed. By that point, he fully understood that he was dreaming, but there was something... off about everything. He was himself, but not himself. He could control his actions, but only to a certain point. There were miniscule differences in his logic and personality that he couldn't quite put his finger on. And what was even more infuriating- in his dreams, the disconnect between realities didn't bother him in the slightest. He was a bit annoyed, however, when a familiar weathered fist knocked on the front door. Ciel went to greet his then regular visitor.

"Hello, Ciel," Inky greeted him. Its tone was bashful and it stood in a childlike pose- both hands behind its back and the toes of both feet pointed inwards towards each other.

"Hello, Inky."

"I bet you're right angry with me, eh?" Inky asked. Its eyes remained fixed on the ground.

Ciel crossed his arms and lengthened his spine and neck. "I am, actually, Inky. Why would you play such a mean trick on me?"

"I didn't think it was mean at the time!" Inked whined. "I was just teasing you for a bit, but then your stupid butler showed up-" Its hands suddenly clamped over its mouth.

"My Butler?" Ciel said. He unfolded his arms. "How do you know about my Butler? You've never even met him."

Inky sighed and looked up at Ciel. It then took Ciel's hand and lead him inside to the sofa. It sat down and pulled him next to it. "I know about your butler because you and he are in my space," Inky explained.

"Your space?" Ciel asked.

"Yes. This town and its surroundings are my home. But I don't mind sharing- so long as the people who stay here are willing to do the same. But, you see, I don't think your butler wants to share with me."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because he keeps taking you away from me!" Inky said forlornly. "I'm always so alone. And you're lonely, too! I can tell! But that pesky man does not want us to play together."

"Well, Inky," said Ciel, "I think he was waking me for other reasons, not because of you."

"Not true!" Inky protested. "Just as I was going to let you out last time, he got in my way and made it look like I was trying to hurt you!" Ciel looked down at his hands in his lap. "Besides," he heard Inky say with a noticeable trace of annoyance in its voice, "I know that you told him about me. That I make you uncomfortable. And he laughed at me! At us!" It crossed its arms sullenly. Ciel looked at it. He was about to ask a question but Inky answered it before he could. "Like I said- MY space. I overheard you two talking."

"Then why do you reveal yourself to me and not to him?" Ciel asked.

Inky heaved a heavy breath and rolled its eyes. "I already told you- I share with others who share with me. But _he_ is a selfish person who's too protective of you. Why won't he let you be?"

Even parallel dimension Ciel knew better than to leak the truth about that particular aspect of his life. "He's only doing what is expected of him as my servant. He must protect me no matter what and stay by my side until the very end."

"Humph! Whatever." Inky sulked some more. "Personally, I think he ought to take you a bit more seriously. You're strong. You can take care of yourself. You don't need other people constantly peering over your shoulder and micromanaging every move you make."

"I don't... You have a point."

"I do. You have a sound mind and a healthy body and that butler treats you like a baby!"

"You're right. He does!"

"You ought to prove yourself! Make a point!"

"Yes!"

By then, both Ciel and Inky had stood up, Ciel's feet on the floor and Inky on the sofa cushions, so that they were face to face. They held tightly to each other's hands.

"Come with me. I'll think of something!" Inky leapt down from the coach, still holding Ciel's hand, and bolted off with him. Ciel was stunned how quickly those tiny legs could run. He had to move at full force to keep up with it. Inky, though, hardly looked like it was exerting itself at all. Its feet moved effortlessly. The two looked into various rooms. Ciel wasn't very sure exactly what they were looking for, but Inky seemed to have a pretty good idea. It kept saying, "No... nope... not here either..."

Finally, Inky flung open a door and stopped dead in the doorway. Ciel was caught off guard and ran straight into Inky's back. Despite its elfish size, it was as solid as a brick wall. Ciel almost fell flat on his back.

"This is it," Inky said fiendishly. It bounced off into the darkness. Ciel could see not a notch of anything when out of the blackness a tiny spark appeared. Flame from a match was put to an oil lamp and the room was lit up with a soft yellow light. It was a modestly furnished bedroom with a medium sized bed, dresser, writing desk, and closet. Ciel thought it looked familiar, but he did not know when he could have been in that room before. Inky motioned for him to join it. Ciel entered the room on tip toe and the two walked to the closet. He wasn't sure why they were being so quiet all of sudden, as they were alone and there was really no need, but he assumed that it was a mannerism that naturally sets in when one is about to purposely misbehave. Inky opened the closet door, pointed inside with one hand and put its pointer finger to its lips with the other. Ciel reached into the closet and pulled out a _very_ familiar tailcoat. It was Sebastian's. He could even smell Sebastian's day cologne still resting on the fabric.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Ciel whispered.

Inky reached over to the writing desk, its arm seeming to extend much further than it ought to, and produced from one of its drawers a pair of very large silver fabric shears. It handed them over to Ciel. "Whatever you want to," said Inky, its voice uncharacteristically low.

Ciel took hold of the shears. They, too, he felt he had seen before. They were embossed with a gorgeous grape vine design- even the veins on the leaves were visible and finely engraved. The subtle light from the oil lamp cast shadows off of the bunches of grapes and made the silver shine as if Ciel were holding onto a fragment of the moon. He put his fingers through the handle and opened the blades. They were magnificently sharp. Ciel looked from the shears to the coat.

"I don't think I could..." he began uneasily.

"Why not?" Inky asked. "Don't you want to get back at him?"

"Of course I do!" said Ciel. "But, Sebastian doesn't care much for material belongings. Besides, I bought him this coat. I'd be destroying _my_ property, technically."

"Yes, but it's the thought that counts." Inky pushed on Ciel's hands, moving the coat and shears closer to his chest. Ciel continued to hesitate. "Just snip off the lapel," Inky said. "Right there. Where that crest pin is."

Ciel looked down to where Inky was pointing- at his family crest, at the symbol of his evil blood line that rested atop of the head servant's heart. He thought for a moment as he cut through the air with the shears. The blades made a healthy and zesty SHING sound every time they came together. "It's the thought that counts, hmm?" Ciel looked up at Inky and smiled mischievously. Inky's eyes widened with excitement as it nodded in agreement. Ciel positioned the shears at the top of the left lapel. Yes, he was aware of how childish he was being, but do you know what? FUCK IT. He cut boldly though the heavy fabric, down its complete length. The wound may as well have been his own.

-%-

And indeed it was. Ciel awoke with a strained gasp in the washroom, shaving razor in hand, fresh, bright red blood streaming profusely from his left forearm. His shaking right hand dropped the blade and it fell to the marble floor with a clatter. Ciel jumped nervously. One, to avoid the blade from slicing his foot open and two, because he was afraid that Sebastian might have heard it and Ciel didn't want him to see what he had done to himself. If he saw that, then it would be off to the hospital for sure. Ciel raided the cabinet by the window for some kind of bandage, or something, anything, to use as a tourniquet. He would use his own _pants_ if it came down to not being discovered. He finally found a roll of gauze and decided to first rinse off the wound before wrapping it. The water stung the cut, but it was then that Ciel noticed that the wound wasn't as deep as he had originally thought. It was long, though- from about an inch under his wrist, all the way up to an inch before the crook of his elbow, directly in the centre of his arm. After the cut was rinsed and patted dry, he placed a bit of bath tissue on top of it before wrapping it with the gauze, to help absorb some of the blood. He then picked up the fallen blade and put it under the running water. As the red was rinsed away, Ciel slowly realised why the shears had looked so familiar- the rustic grape vine design that he had seen in his dream was the same as the one he held his hand. It even had had the monogram "S.M." carved amongst the twirling vines. It was Sebastian's shaving razor. There was a knock at the door. Ciel gasped again.

"Young Master? Are you alright?" Sebastian inquired from the hallway. Ciel could see the light from the candelabra through the keyhole and under the door. "You've been in there for some time now. Were you ill again?"

"Uh- n- n- ah- n- NO!" Ciel stuttered. He folded up the blade quickly, stuffed it back into the cabinet, and frantically started wipping up the blood from the floor with a white hand towel. "I- just- felt woozy. That's all." He finished cleaning the crimson mess but was then faced with a new problem- disposal of the evidence. He opened the window wide, balled the towel into a huge knot, hauled back his non-wounded arm, and threw the bloody towel with all the strength he could conjure. The towel disappeared into the bluish-black of the impending dawn. "Yes. That's all." He covered his bandaged skin with his sleeve, splashed his sweating, pallid face with cold water to collect himself, and took several deep breaths before unlocking the door. Sebastian stood in front of him, holding the candelabra and looking at him oh-so dolefully. "What?" Ciel asked. "I'm fine."

Sebastian brought his fingertips to his forehead. He closed his eyes. Exhaled. "Why do I not believe you?"

"Because you never do." Ciel pushed past him and sped back to his room. 'That butler treats you like a baby!' Inky's words sounded in his head almost as though the creature were right there beside him, whispering into his ear. Ciel reached his room and shut the door loudly. He locked it. "Bastard," he said under his breath.


	7. Chapter 7: The Butler, Concerned

**Note to the Beautiful Readers: I still can't believe people are reading this- my first fanfiction ever! You fill my little black heart with joy. Thank you so much.**

* * *

Sebastian had stayed still in his spot in front of the washroom. "It would seem that I have good reason not to believe you," he said to himself. He looked down the hallway. The Young Master had disappeared into his bedroom and slammed the door. Sebastian rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Ah. Teenagers." He was about to return back to his sleeping quarters when an intoxicating, thick, metallic scent rushed to his nostrils. His pupils contracted into near vertical lines as he spun back around to the washroom. He looked behind him to ensure that the Young Master was still in his room before he investigated. He stepped into the washroom, shut the door behind him and inhaled deeply. Still sniffing at the air, he opened the cabinet. The smell was strongly clinging to his razor. He picked it up- really a fine, lovely tool it was- opened it and put the blade to his nose. No doubt about it. The scent belonged to his Young Master. He could smell it all over the room. It even laced the breeze that came through the opened window. Sebastian pushed his head outside and sniffed rapidly. Yes. It permeated the air. He ducked back inside, closed the window and left the washroom.

Stepping as lightly and as quickly as he could, he moved like a ghost through the hallway, the dining room and the parlour. When he found himself outside, he followed his nose like a bloodhound after a fox. It lead him to a small patch of knee high grass a few feet from the washroom window. Bundled up amidst the rocks and sand was a bloodied white towel, embroidered with seashells and seahorses. Sebastian lifted it up and put it to his nose to confirm what he already knew. What he didn't know was the reason why. Was it a way to rebel? A way to take ownership of his person? Was it some strange fetish?

"No, no," Sebastian pushed that last thought away. The Young Master was _much_ too prude for that. "Hmm... I am forbidden from calling a doctor," Sebastian thought aloud, "but the Master refuses to speak to me. Just what should I do? Presenting him with this-" he held the bloody towel higher in the air- "may be a bit too forward and parental. And I do not wish to bother him. Since I have been doing so much of that lately, I suppose." He glared towards the house. "Perhaps I will confront him tomorrow morning. He seems to be having a rough night. Still, I should err on the side of caution and check in on him."

Ciel sat with his back against the door, staring at his bed like it was a monster, perplexed as to what to do. He refused to go back to sleep, but he was not going to go crying to the Butler to save him. Not that time. Whatever was going on, he could handle it himself. Now that he was sure, one hundred percent, without a shadow of a doubt, that Inky was attempting to seriously harm him, he could go in armed to the teeth with wit. Yes! That's exactly what he would do. If he went into his mind with the soul intent to bring some hell (oh, so many puns) then that tiny little thing would be no match for him. If Inky is his subconscious trying to torment him, then surely he could destroy it of his own accord. But being as worked up as he was (he was still shaking from the shock of see himself slice open his own flesh), how could he possibly go back to dreamland? He couldn't just wait until tomorrow... could he? What if Sebastian knew? Could he continue faking that everything was fine until then? Oh, who was he kidding. Of course he could. He had been doing it for years. What's one more day? He then heard Sebastian's steps coming down the hall. Ciel stood quickly and sprinted to his bed. He brought the sheet up to his chin and curled himself into a ball on his right side. As he was forcing himself to steady his heart, the brass knob on the door turned. Then Ciel remembered- he had locked it. He smiled to himself.

"No," he said quietly, "you're not getting in here now."

Sebastian paused as he discovered that the Young Master's door had been locked. Should he unlock it? No. It would be inappropriate to breach the Master's privacy for the sake of seeing that he was "alright." If he were in serious danger, Sebastian would have sensed something by then. He shrugged it off. He would address the situation the following morning.

Ciel heard Sebastian pause momentarily after turning the knob. He thought for a second that Sebastian would use his uncanny powers to unlock the door, but, surprisingly, he did not. Instead, he walked away down the hallway. Ciel then heard Sebastian close, what he assumed, was his bedroom door. Ciel chuckled softly in the darkness. Another victory. He was about to go back to sleep when he remembered why he was so nervous in the first place. So, he lit a candle for his bedside table, and read his collection of short stories by Stevenson until the sun finally came up.

-%-

It was exactly nine o'clock when Sebastian came to Ciel's room again. He knocked lightly at the door with his knuckles. Ciel had dozed off for a bit, book still in hand, and jumped slightly at the interruption.

"Young Master, it is time to wake up," Sebastian said. "Would you like for me to help ready you for breakfast?"

"I'm fine. I'll do it myself," Ciel answered. He had thought for a second about allowing Sebastian to help him, but then he felt the gauze sticking to his arm. After changing his clothing, he had to change the gauze- which, getting dressed really wasn't an exceptionally complicated process. It just took so _long_ when he dressed himself, what with all those buttons and laces and buckles. And that goddamn tie. He could never get a hang of tying that thing. Most likely because he never had to do it himself... but anyway.

He waited until Sebastian's footsteps had disappeared before be bolted to the washroom. He removed the bandage and tissue, cleansed the wound, and was not so surprised to see that the cut was still bleeding a bit. It was made down the length of his vein, after all. No matter. More tissue, more gauze. No one is the wiser. He looked in the mirror to attempt to disintangle his tie. His face looked absolutely nightmareish. His skin was dull and sallow, his eyes were glossy and reddened, the scarlet spider veins snaking out towards his visible pupil, and there were ugly, purpleish-blue circles beneath them. His lips were dry, pale and cracked. He was positively parched. He felt hot, but he couldn't stop shivering. Maybe he should call a doctor...

"NO," he said out loud. The sound of his own voice startled him. It was much throatier and gutteral, but he assumed that it was because of his illness. Giving up on the tie, he walked with his spine tall to the dining room, ready to brave the chill that was sure to be waiting there for him.

Sebastian had finished setting the table, and stood beside a chair that he had pulled out, napkin drapped over one arm, the usual smile of his face. "Good morning, sir. For this morning's tea I have brewed first flush Darjeeling." He poured the tea from a blue and white teapot into Ciel's favourite tea cup. "As for your breakfast, I have prepared eggs benedict, made from the first batch of eggs from a local farm, atop of freshly baked brioche. I have also included smoked ham, supplied by the same farm, and an assortment of seasonal berries picked by myself just this morning."

Oh, if only Ciel hadn't felt so ill. He couldn't even breathe properly without the smell of the food making his stomach groan in disagreement. He considered telling the Butler that he hadn't the stomach that morning for eggs, but his pride wouldn't allow him. He would ingest what he could, and explain that he simply wasn't hungry. He sipped the tea and pursed his lips. It was horribly astringent and it burned his throat. He knew, though, that it was not because of Sebastian's brewing technique. Oh, no. It had been years since Sebastian had last made an undrinkable cuppa.

"I'll also take a glass of ice water, Sebastian," Ciel ordered.

Sebastian bowed. "Yes, sir," he said. He left the room. Ciel took the moment to rest his head in his hand and breathe slowly. Why did he insist on lying? Goodness, he was dizzy. He knew he couldn't go without eating something. He had a go at the berries. Their entry to his stomach was surprisingly agreeable, but the texture of their downy flesh and the crunch of their delicate seeds were difficult for his tongue and gag relfex to accept. Suddenly a small glass of ice water appeared before him, the condensation already forming around its body.

"Your water, my Lord," Sebastian said, again by his side.

Ciel grabbed it, more greedily than he meant to, and drank it all down at once. He set the glass gently back on the table and wiped his mouth daintily with the napkin he held on his lap. "Thank you," he said as he attempted to regain his composure.

"Would you like another glass, my Lord?" Sebastian asked.

'Yes,' said Ciel's brain. "No," said Ciel's mouth.

Sebastian frowned. He was trying to draw some kind of confession out of the Young Master, but it looked as though it might not be so simple. He was not sure why he had felt like it could have been.

Ciel picked up the silverware. After eating about half of the berries, he was ready to tackle the eggs- which, every human in the world knows, are probably _the worst_ food to eat when feeling nauseous. But how could Sebastian have known that... or perhaps he did. Could he have prepared that heavy meal on purpose? Ciel cut off a small piece of bread, egg and meat and guided it into his mouth casually, more determined than before to choke down that meal.

It didn't go as well as he had hoped, though. The egg almost came back up as quickly as it had went down. The butter tasted like pure grease and it only made the steamy ovum all the more slimy. The bread was spongy and gooey all at once, and the ham was more like rubber than food. Ciel put his fist to his mouth to steady his aggravated nausea.

"Young Master," Sebastian piped up. "I could not help but notice that you have been struggling with your breakfast."

"I am, actually," Ciel said. He wiped his mouth, dropped the napkin on his plate and pushed his chair away from the table. "I am not at all hungry this morning. And honestly, Sebastian, this is not the best meal you have ever prepared."

"Oh, no, sir?" Sebastian asked. "My apologies. Perhaps it is too heavy for your stomach in its current state?"

So there it was. He _had_ done it on purpose. Well if it was a confession he was after, Ciel was not going to allow him the pleasure of giving him one. "Yes, perhaps," he said snidely.

"I could bring you something lighter," Sebastian said, "like oatmeal or a melon salad-"

"I already said I wasn't hungry," Ciel interrupted him. He stood from the table. "I am going to go outside for some fresh air. If you must accompany me, keep your distance."

Short pause. "Yes, sir," Sebastian consented. Ciel had walked to the door and was about to leave when Sebastian called him back. "Young Master." Ciel sighed and turned, his hand still on the door knob. "Might I adjust your tie for you before you go out?"

Ciel wavered in his spot. He might as well. That way, he could pay close attention to how it was done so that he would be able to tie it himself in the future. "Alright," he said. He walked over to Sebastian and undid the tangled mess he had created in the washroom. Sebastian leaned over and smoothed the hasty creases.

After a few moments of silence and Ciel studying the movement of hands, Sebastian said, "The buttons of your waistcoat are also misaligned. May I fix those for you as well?"

"Go ahead," Ciel shrugged.

'Alright,' Sebastian thought to himself, 'he appears to be calmer now. Might as well approach the subject.' "My Lord," he began as carefully as he could. No accusations, no condescentions, no sudden movements. "You are not looking well. Not at all."

"How do you mean?" Ciel asked. He figured, play stupid. If he were too defensive it would be obvious that there was something wrong. And there was _nothing wrong_.

"Well," Sebastian unbuttoned Ciel's black waistcoat so that he could properly fasten it, "your complexion for one, sir. You are looking waxen and exhausted."

"I did not sleep well last night. You know that."

"Yes, I do." Sebastian moved cautiously forward in the conversation, as an archer after a stag. "It is the main reason why I am worried. Also, your eye is very red and watery, you're clearly dehydrated. And taking into account your fever and the strain of headaches, all of these symptoms point to influenza which can be fatal in chil-"

"In children?" Ciel suddenly snapped. Sebastian had finished with the buttons and his hands hovered over Ciel's chest. He looked up at Ciel with unfeigned surprise. "In children? Is that what you were going to say?"

"Well, it is true, my Lo-"

"Stop it, just stop it. I am just fine. I do not need you to help me. I do not need anyone to help me because I do not need help!" Ciel tore himself away from Sebastian and made for the door again. Before he left, he turned back. "For the record, I am not a baby anymore. Do not treat me as such." He began to let himself out.

"But, sir, I do not think of you as a baby," Sebastian started. He straightened up and moved towards the Master, seeing if he could prevent him from leaving. "I was only-" Too late. The Master was gone. "Concerned for you," he finished. He stood quietly for a moment. "Technically, he did give me permission to follow him," he thought out loud, "I need only to stay out of sight." He laughed and smiled to himself. "Which, what kind of butler would I be if I could not manage that much?"


	8. Chapter 8: The Earl, Floundering

**Note to the Readers: This one is a bit long but, oh well. Allusions to Ibsen, Victorian flower language, Pre-Raphaelite art and Shakespeare. If you nerd out over these things, too, we should be best friends. ^_^**

* * *

When Ciel had originally thought about venturing the area, he had meant to bring his violin and a book along with him. But what instead did he find himself doing? Stomping down the sand, kicking away any object in his path, huffing and puffing to himself. That wasn't a holiday! It was exactly the same as back at the manor, except with more sand and a smidgen less incompetence. After his initial fit, which lasted much longer than it should have (for often times Ciel was carried away by his anger), he found himself quite a ways from the cottage. He could still see it off in the distance, but it looked more like a doll's house than an actual place of residency for life sized humans. He could block out the cottage's image with his pinkie finger if he held it in front of his eye.

The ocean's waves were calm and steady. There were a few seagulls flying about and searching the sand for food. On the beach coming up from the water was a group of very large rocks. He climbed to the top of them without thinking twice and laid out on his back. The sun was warm without being scorching and the breeze was cool without making him shiver. It really was a gorgeous day and he could then appreciate it more after calming down from his row with the Butler. Just who did he think he was fooling with all that, "Oh, I'm only worried about you" bullshit?

"Calm down," Ciel ordered himself. "I said to him what I had to say. It can't be helped now. All I can do, is make the most out of my free time. I can manage that. This is really quite nice." He continued to absorb the warmth and the sound of the sea. The waves were lulling and the breeze seemed to mimic its movement, blowing whenever the tide touched the shore, remaining still whenever the water pulled back. The slim white clouds above undulated into wisps like cigarette smoke or candy floss. He was still tired and hungry and thirsty, though. The waves rolled onto the beach again. "Water, water, everywhere," Ciel thought, "nor any drop to drink. How apt." He closed his eyes and dozed on the rocks. Oddly enough, those rocks were more comfortable than one would suppose them to be.

-%-

"Aren't they just?" a spritely voice asked. Ciel bolted upright and scurried away in fear. Sitting right beside him on a large mossy bolder was Inky. It was making a daisy chain out of violets and clovers. The two were in the middle of a sun filled grove. The ground was covered in velvety looking grass, butterflies fluttered here then there, and there were pretty little birdsongs piping out from the surrounding trees. Despite the peace, Ciel had never felt so uneasy. "I'm making a present for you," Inky told Ciel, never taking its eyes from its handiwork. "I hope that you will wear it once I'm finished with it."

"What the hell do you want from me?" Ciel asked. He remembered that his original plan was to "go into his subconscious armed to the teeth with wit," but that was just the problem. He did not fall asleep on purpose. He wasn't mentally prepared enough.

"I want to stay with you forever, Ciel," Inky explained. Finally, it looked up from its flowers. "I think you are wonderful and I just get so sad when you leave me."

"Well, thank you, I suppose, Inky," Ciel faultered a bit in his reply. "But hurting me is unnecessary, wouldn't you agree?"

"Maybe." Inky shrugged simply. It looked at Ciel a little longer before returning to its daisy chain. "But this is what must be done in order to remain friends."

"What do you mean, Inky?" Ciel was very nervous and tried to awaken himself. And though Inky did not physically try to stop him, Ciel couldn't help but feel like he was being held in that dreaming state against his will.

"The human body, though beautiful, is such a hindrance," Inky said. It weaved more violets into the chain. Ciel looked at Inky's work and noticed that even though the plants were being freshly plucked from the earth, they withered instantly in its hands. "But the soul..." Inky smiled broadly. Pointy, tiny teeth, much like cat's teeth, showed from inside its mouth. "The soul is a pure, innocent, unending thing. It's your essence. Your true self." It put down its chain and turned to Ciel. "Without the body there is nothing but peace and laughter and joy and love. I have met many boys and girls who have chosen to be my friends and released themselves of their mortal chains. We want you to join us." Inky reached out to Ciel and took both of his hands. "Here, you will never be ignored. You'll never be hurt. You will be free from the dangers that I know hunt you wherever you go." Inky took the daisy chain and placed it on Ciel's head like an ethereal crown. Ciel felt springing petals on his forehead. He looked up and saw that the flowers and clovers had rejuvenated against his fevered skin. The sunlight was warm all around them, and Ciel could swear he heard the excited chatter of a group of children. "Please, Ciel," Inky continued its persuasion, "we already have fallen in love with you. The others- they adore you, I can tell!" Inky smiled and then there was no mistaking it. Ciel heard children's laughter like miniature wind chimes in an easy summer breeze. Inky took Ciel's face in both its hands. "Don't you want to let go of your pain? Don't you want to be free?" It removed Ciel's eyepatch. It fell against the moss with nary a sound. "To belong to yourself again... doesn't that sound grand?"

"Yes," Ciel answered dreamily. He did not feel like himself anymore. He was drowning in all that warmth and comfort. It had been years since he had felt so peaceful and safe. Please... please... don't take it away... not again.

Ciel must have cried a bit because Inky had wiped a tear from his cheek with a rough thumb. "We can take better care of you than anyone else could," Inky told him, emphasising the word 'anyone,' "but you have to let us. You must trust me."

"I do," Ciel's voice cracked a little.

Inky smiled gently. "Then join us, Ciel," it said. From thin air it produced a crystalline glass filled with red wine. It handed the glass to Ciel. He breathed in its bouquet. It was lavishly floral and as complex as the earth below them. Its colour, too, was gem like, akin to garnet, the red as deep as the ocean. Ciel looked into the glass at the wine and saw his sickly reflection staring mournfully back at him. He took in a short breath.

"No more pain?" he asked Inky.

Inky shook its head. "No more pain," it assured.

Ciel nodded and sipped the wine. So smooth and rich.

"Drink it all," Inky urged softly. "It's the only way that you can stay with us forever."

Ciel braced himself and tipped his head back, turning the glass' bottom upwards and allowing its entire contents to spill through his mouth and into his belly. The drink seemed to be never ending. Even when he had finished and put the glass down, he could still feel liquid rushing into his body. As he looked up at Inky, his breathing became laboured and painful, coming out in short gasps and gurgles. He was overcome by a terrible chill. His lungs began to fill up, wine poured from his mouth like blood all over his clothing and the bolder. As the world around Ciel began to be blotted out, Inky's teeth remained visible in the darkness, like the Cheshire Cat standing by the sidelines, anxious to see Alice's head roll.

-%-

Suddenly, Ciel's ears were full and deafened by a persistent rushing sound. He couldn't see anymore and his limbs struggled for freedom. Was he drowning? The coldness he had felt in the grove was the ocean all around him, not yet warmed by the summer sun so deep beneath the surface. Ciel tried to swim but the undertow sucked him further away from shore with each stroke or kick he made. Not like it much mattered, though. He wasn't able to see which direction would lead him to land anyway. For a moment, with the haze of his dream still clouding his thought process, he considered allowing himself to drown. Judging by his deadening senses, he was halfway there. Plus, he had known for years that his death would be tragically romantic, in the old sense of the word. Why not shuffle off the mortal coil the way that Ophelia had? He had always loved that Millais painting in the manor... But, haze or no haze, he was still Ciel Phantomhive and there was too much left unfinished. Besides, he didn't recall suicide being a part of the contract. Speaking of contract...

He felt a long, strong arm hook itself around his waist and was then hoisted through the waves to the surface. He still could not see, but it could only have been one person. The wind blew rougher than it had before, rain splattered on the water, and the waves crashed against the rocks with a much stronger force than he remembered. Ciel's brain slid around inside his skull and he quickly slipped back into darkness.

-%-

He had returned to the grove. That time, not only was he joined by Inky, but by at least twelve other children: some Ciel's age, most even younger. Their eyes were wide and bright like precious gems, their cheeks were flushed, their fine hair glinted in the sunlight. Inky stood amongst them, holding a pale yellow chrysanthemum.

It smiled and stepped forward. "You did very well just then. You are so brave. Isn't he, everyone?"

The children all nodded enthusiastically. Some even exclaimed, "Yes, very brave!" "So much courage!" "I couldn't have done it that way!"

Ciel laughed, slightly embarrassed by all of the praise. "It was nothing, really. It didn't even hurt too badly."

"What did I tell you?" Inky asked. It handed the flower to Ciel. "No more pain."

"Yes," Ciel agreed. "No more pain." He took the flower from Inky's hand and put it to his nose. He gagged mid-breath. The flower smelled of rotted meat. He pushed it away from his face and saw that it had turned a putrid, dank brown. It had withered and become slimy and spotted with mold. Ciel let go of it and it fell to the ground, which had changed from soft grass to dried and cracked mud. Black sludge, something like tar, oozed from under its dusty crust. Ciel heard Inky begin to laugh. He looked up from the ground to the little creature. Its ears had stretched upwards, the tips of them curled forward, its skin had become dotted all over with small horns like thorns on a rose, its incisors became thick and grew over its bottom lip, and its fingers were spiked with wickedly long black nails. Its smile was gnarled and cruel.

The children, too, had been completely altered. Some had broken, unmended limbs, some were plastered with blood and ash, their hair partially torn from their scalps, some were missing eyes, some were missing large pieces of skin with cracked boned showing beneath, the skin that they still possessed being shiny, craggy pink and white masses of scar tissue. All, though, were screaming in terror... the ones who still had tongues, anyway. The ones who didn't emitted animalistic wails, their mouths gaping wide, blood trickling down their chins, down their bruised, bony chests.

Inky had ceased its laughing, but its smile remained painfully, if not otherwise comically, wide. It started moving towards Ciel. Ciel retreated backwards as quickly and as far away as he could. He pressed his back against a tree when from out of the darkness jutted thin, lacerated hands. They wrung the air, their nails split and cracked and caked with dirt and gore and puss. Some pulled at Ciel's hair, his clothing, his limbs, tried to take hold of his hands and neck. Though he fought as hard as he could, the hands held Ciel fast and Inky planted himself right in front of him.

"Welcome home, my angel," Inky said softly. The screams of the children became louder, Ciel's own cries rising with the others, getting caught in his strangled throat. He was pinioned to the tree. Ciel struggled against the disembodied hands while Inky moved towards him, bearing its claws like daggers. As Inky's nails came closer to his stomach, Ciel somehow managed to free himself of the binding hands, and tear himself away with every last ounce of energy he could produce in his body.

-%-

Ciel gagged and sputtered. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" he screamed. He had regained his vision then, but he was still unable to properly register his surroundings. All he knew was that he was being held by strong fingers, not unlike the bloody hands that had been strangling him. He moved away from the hands like a crab, his palms behind him. Arms attempted to take hold of him, but Ciel continued to scream. "DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T TOUCH ME!" He kicked and punched and scratched. The gusto of the wind and water crowded his senses.

"Young Master!" A voice called over the din. "It is only Sebastian. Only your butler. Please, open your eyes."

Hands on Ciel's face. He tried to wrench himself away, but he was entangled in limbs. "No, please!" Ciel pleaded. His voice cracked feebly. "Leave me alone!"

The hands held his face a bit tighter. Thumbs pulled gently at the skin above his eyes. "Please, open your eyes. Come back, sir. Open them," the voice persisted.

Ciel was horrified. If he opened his eyes, would he see them? The children with their torn skin and missing organs? Inky's carnivorous feline teeth? The skeletal hands that shot out from the shadows to entrap him?

Against his better judgment, Ciel opened his eyes. He was surrounded by a surf tormented shore. The sky above had turned a ferocious iron grey, the ocean was almost green in hue and roared and lashed against itself like lions in the Coliseum. The sand underneath him had been turned into coarse mush by the rain that hammered down like silver nails. The drops felt like hundreds of tiny syringes against Ciel's skin. It took a moment for him to come to and notice who he was being held by. The Butler kneeled before him, completely drenched. His hair stuck to his face like black seaweed and his clothing clung to his skin in soggy wrinkles. His tail coat lay beside them. He pressed his hands against Ciel's cheeks again.

"If you can hear me, please say something," said Sebastian.

Ciel blinked a few times to remove the water droplets that still stuck to his eyelashes. "... what happened?" he asked dumbly. His voice sounded groggy in his clogged ears.

Sebastian shook his head. "I truly am not sure at all," he admitted. "I was keeping a watch on you as you slept, but then you suddenly took to the water. At first, I thought you might have just been cooling off, but then you went under and never came back up. The storm started and I dove in after you."

"They tried to kill me." Ciel was panicked again. His breathing became short and rushed as he lost control of his nerves. "Bloody hands came out from the trees and started choking me. And Inky! It was going to stab me! All of those children were dead! He killed them all!"

Sebastian's eyes became wider with every word that Ciel choked out. "I know I was put under strict orders not to," he said as he shook his coat of sand and draped it over Ciel's shoulders, "but I am calling a doctor. You are not well." He scooped Ciel up from the sand.

"No, you're not listening to me!" Ciel ranted on. "They didn't have tongues, they were scalped, their bones were broken in a dozen different directions. Sebastian- you have to stop them. They're going to do the same thing to me."

Sebastian said not a word, but listened patiently to the fevered ravings of the Young Master as he carried him back to the cottage through the darkness and pouring rain.

* * *

**p.s. Many thanks for your reviews! I work very long hours as a baker, so I sometimes don't have the brain energy to remember to update. But no worries. I actually finished this story weeks ago so I can assure you that there will be a conclusion. :)**


	9. Chapter 9: The Butler, Nursing

Sebastian made sure that the water for the Young Master's bath was cool enough to soothe his burning blood, but no so cold that it would worsen the sickness. The Young Master stood staring out the window, as though on the look out for something, holding the backs of his arms and shaking on a seismic level. Sebastian was not sure if he was experiencing chills or if his trembling was the result of an internal battle. The bath was filled and scented with rose water. Sebastian turned to the Young Master.

"Come then, sir." He put out his arms. "Allow me to clean you up."

Ciel's eyes widened. Damn. The cut. He backed himself against the wall. "What about you?" He asked. "You're soaked through."

"I will take care of myself later on," Sebastian said. "I am not the one with a fever. It is important that you get out of those wet clothes and cleanse away the salt water." He moved towards Ciel again.

Since there was nowhere else for Ciel to go, he resorted to violence, as was his way. "Do not come near me!" He swatted Sebastian's then bare hands. "You'll burn my skin and rub it raw again."

Sebastian tried to patient, but that wasn't a quality that was very easy for him to emulate. "Please, sir," he slowly said after taking a calming breath, "I promise you I will not do that again. I feel my butlering skills have improved these last three years, have they not?"

Ciel wanted to run away, but what choice did he have? Perhaps enough was enough. Time to come clean- pun may as well be intended. He bowed his head and stepped forward.

"Thank you," Sebastian said gratefully. He started stripping off Ciel's wet clothes. His tie, his waistcoat. He cringed as Sebastian removed his shirt. Sebastian paused. Ciel shut his eyes. He felt Sebastian take his arm and touch the bloody bandage. "Why did you not tell me?" he asked after a moment.

Ciel kept his eyes closed as he answered. "Because I couldn't."

"Why not?"

Ciel then opened his eyes wide and snapped, "I just could not, alright! It's complicated. I can't explain."

"I see," Sebastian said. He continued removing the remaining water-logged garments in silence.

Ciel fidgeted. The quiet was unsettling. "I'm sorry for losing my temper just then," he apologised. "In fact, I'm sorry for losing my temper these past two days. I have no idea what is the matter with me."

"It is obvious that you are suffering from no ordinary illness," said Sebastian . He folded the wet clothes and placed them in the sink. "But a doctor could confirm what may be happening here." He helped Ciel into the bath. "And thank you for the apology, my Lord. I understand that you have been feeling miserable lately."

"Right, miserable," Ciel mumbled. Images of the disfigured children infected his mind's eye. "That's one word you could use, I suppose."

"About this bandage, sir," Sebastian said, "will the wound still be bleeding if I remove it? Or is it healed enough that I can cleanse it for you without having to wrap it straight away?"

Ciel shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

Sebastian nodded and removed the gauze carefully. He moistened a small cloth with water and wiped the dried blood delicately off his arm. The cut still stung and bled, but it was nothing compared to what it had originally looked like.

"I assume that it bled much worse not too long ago," Sebastian said. Ciel nodded. "Well, I will wrap this back up again and you can hang your arm over the side of the tub. Is that alright, my Lord?"

"Yes," Ciel said. Sebastian did as he said he would, and returned to washing the rest of Ciel's person. "Did you know what had happened?" Ciel asked after a minute.

"Yes," Sebastian answered simply. "I am very familiar with the smell of your blood."

"Pft. I figured as much," Ciel said.

Sebastian had gotten to washing the Young Master's face when he decided to brave more questions. "About your arm, sir," he said, "how did you find yourself with such a nasty cut?"

To lie or not to lie. "I did it myself," Ciel said without pausing to second guess himself. Not to lie. He refused to join Inky's ranks. "I did it in my sleep."

"In your sleep?" Sebastian was extremely confused. He tilted the Master's head back and started washing his hair.

"Yes." Ciel closed his eyes to protect them from soap drippings. "Do you remember I told you about that little gnome from my dream?"

"I do."

"Well, he- or she- or I don't know, I just call it '_it_,'" Ciel said, "made me do this. It also locked me in the cabinet and tried to drown me earlier."

Now there was a tricky situation. A demon, like Sebastian, did not have difficulty with believing in the fantastical. He himself was a fantastical- some would even be foolish enough to say 'false'- Being of Eternal Night and Perpetual Despair. But, on the other hand, it could have been that the Young Master's brain was being eaten away by fevered madness. He would still call a doctor, but it would be wise not to write the Master off automatically, for the sake of both his mental and physical health. Humans are terribly frail after all.

"Do you know why that may be?" Sebastian asked, beginning to clean behind Ciel's ears.

"It says it is because it wants to be my friend forever and the only way that can be possible is if I die," Ciel explained. Out loud, it sounded like a synopsis for a board game his company might create. No way that it could be true... and yet it was. He knew it was not just a dream. Why was it so difficult for him to accept? He was being bathed by a hellbeast, for goodness' sake!

Sebastian furrowed his brows. "That is interesting..." He trailed off.

"How so?"

"... I think perhaps it is better to wait on drawing any conclusions until a doctor sees you," Sebastian said. "But I believe that it is very possible that this 'Inky' creature is more than a dream."

"You believe me then?" Ciel turned to his Butler.

"Like I said," Sebastian cleaned Ciel's hands, "it would be wise to listen to a doctor's opinion first."

Ciel sighed heavily. "I'll just continue suffering until then, I suppose."

"There is a hospital in the town whose farm I visited this morning," said Sebastian. "It is not twenty minutes away and it is only three in the afternoon."

"But the weather," Ciel pointed out. Thunder growled threateningly outside.

"Yes. It is odd that it turned so wicked all of a sudden, is it not?" Sebastian observed. "Ah, well, I suppose that is typical of summer weather. But, I am sure that if I explain that it is an emergency, they will come to us."

"I hope so." Ciel looked out the window at the rain that spilled down the glass like the blood had from his self-inflicted wound.

"Let's have you dried off and dressed then," Sebastian said. Ciel was reluctant to leave the water. It was so sweet against his scorching flesh and the scent of roses was pleasantly relaxing. Sebastian must have noticed his reluctance because he said, "If you need to cool down again later, I can refill the tub for you. However, exposing yourself to cold temperatures for too long will worsen your fever. Besides- you already went for a nice, refreshing dip."

"Ha, ha," Ciel said flatly. He stood in the tub.

"Poor taste?" Sebastian smiled and held open a towel.

"Yes," Ciel said. He stepped out of the tub and into the towel.

"My apologies, my Lord."

"Right."

After Sebastian had dried and dressed him in his nightshirt, he put Ciel to bed.

"I am going to call the doctor now," he said, tucking Ciel in snugly, "you ought to rest until he arrives."

"No!" Ciel shot upright. "I am not going back to sleep. They'll come after me and finish what they started."

"I did not say that you should sleep, my Lord," Sebastian said. "I meant only that you should try to calm yourself so that you can explain your symptoms with a clear head." He gently pushed Ciel back against the pillows. "So, if you will excuse me-"

"Don't leave!" Again, Ciel sat himself back up. "If Inky is real, then he might come to me even if I am awake."

"I will only be away for five minutes at the mo-"

"Sebastian!" Ciel's eyes were wide and wild, quivering and shining like polished glass in their sockets. His skin had the pallor of a cadaver and he had broken out into a beady sweat on his chest and face.

"Alright," Sebastian said. Perhaps leaving the Master in that condition was a bad idea. "You can come with me, sir." Ciel threw off the blankets, slapped on his eye patch and stood beside Sebastian. "Let us give the doctor a call then," the Butler said. He followed Ciel out of the room and to the parlour.

The phone sat upon a white wicker table next to the large settee. Sebastian gestured towards it. "Please, lay yourself down, my Lord." Ciel laid down and put his forearm over his eyes. Sebastian lifted the phone, put the receiver to his ear and spun the dial.

"Operator," a female voice said.

"Yes, I would like to be connected to Saint John's Hospital."

"One moment, please."

Ring... ring... ring...

'Hopefully the line will connect in spite of this dreadful weather,' Sebastian thought.

"Saint John's Hospital." Another female voice spoke at the other end of the line.

'Ah, thank goodness.' If the line had been disconnected and he had to travel with the Young Master through that freezing storm... "Hello," Sebastian said aloud, "I am calling to request an in home visit from a resident doctor. I am in the care of a boy who is terribly ill."

"Of course, sir," the receptionist said warmly. "Would you please give me your name and address?"

"My name is Sebastian Michaelis and I am currently staying in the sea side cottage at 431 Mariner Road."

There was a slight pause. "I am very sorry, sir," the receptionist sincerely said, "but I am afraid that the weather has made the roads too perilous for the horses that far away from the town."

"I had worried that much," Sebastian sighed.

Ciel had been reclining quietly until that point, but propped himself up on his elbows at the news. "They can't come?" he asked loudly.

Sebastian put his pointer finger to his lips and said into the receiver, "This is an emergency. His fever has gone through the roof and I fear that he may be hallucinating."

Ciel's mouth dropped open in angry disbelief. So the Butler didn't believe him? "LIAR!" He said in a harsh whisper. Again, Sebastian motioned for him to hush himself. "Ugh!" Ciel crossed his arms and plopped back down to his laid out position.

"... Well..." The girl at the hospital considered.

"Please, miss," Sebastian said as sweetly as he could, "may I at least speak with the doctor myself? Perhaps if he knows the severity of the disease he would make an exception. I would hate to bring the boy out into this weather and risk exacerbating his already ill health."

"He has made house calls in these conditions before..." Pause. "Alright, sir. I'll fetch the doctor so you may speak with him."

"Thank you so much, miss," Sebastian breathed. "You are very kind indeed."

The girl giggled. "I am only doing my job, sir."

"And I must say you do it exceptionally well."

Ciel rolled his eyes, put his finger in his mouth and made a gagging sound.

Sebastian covered the bottom of the receiver with his palm. "I am only trying to convince them to come to us in this storm, Master," he said. "I am being transferred to a doctor now."

"Please hold, sir," the girl told him.

It wasn't long before the line carried over a deep male voice coloured with a thick Irish accent. "Doctor O'Malley speaking. I understand that you are in the care of a child suffering from fever and hallucinations?"

"I am," Sebastian answered. "And as I told the girl with whom I was earlier speaking, I believe that it would be irresponsible of me to expose him to these harsh elements in his present shape."

"Indeed it would be," the doctor agreed. "But I am sure that she also explained that it would be a bit dangerous to visit you in these conditions. I hate to seem cruel, but would it be possible for me to call on you tomorrow morning when the storm has passed?"

"Yes, she did explain to me the dangers of traveling, however I feel that I may have waited too long to seek proper medical attention."

"How many days has it been since the child has come down with fever?" the doctor asked.

"It has been about two days," Sebastian admitted, slightly embarrassed. "I was waiting to see if the fever would break quickly, as it had done for him in the past, but it has only gotten worse. _Much_ worse."

"What symptoms have presented themselves alongside of his fever?" The doctor inquired. "I am especially concerned about these hallucinations."

"Well..." Sebastian wondered if he should go into graphic detail of the recent grisly events. Best to keep it short and simple- just do not understate the seriousness of the situation. "He had been experiencing migraines of varying degrees of pain on and off for about a week prior to this illness. His behaviour has become increasingly aggressive. He has also begun sleepwalking, and in his sleep he suffers from nightmares."

There was a long silence.

"... Doctor?" Sebastian said.

"What were these nightmares about?" The doctor's voice was suddenly tense and agitated. "Did he tell you? Were they violent?"

"Yes, very violent." Though confused, Sebastian answered when prompted. "He has even acted out these dreams whilst sleepwalking, and has harmed himself very badly. He dreamt about a little creature who-"

"Little creature?" The doctor was frantic.

"Yes. It-"

"And where did you say you were staying?"

"431 Mariner Road."

"I'll be there as quickly as I can," the doctor said hurriedly. "Whatever you do, do _not_ let that boy out of your sight and do _not_ let him fall asleep." With that, the line went dead.

Sebastian stared at the receiver for a moment before slowly setting it back on its stand. "Huh," he said, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek.

"What?" Ciel asked flatly. His forearm was over his eyes again.

"A doctor is on his way," Sebastian said. "And it looks as though we were correct in thinking that this nasty bug of yours is not a bug at all, but rather something much more harmful."

Ciel removed his arm and looked hard at Sebastian. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

"After explaining your symptoms, the doctor seemed very eager to see you. He also ordered me to prevent you from falling asleep."

Ciel narrowed his eyes. "So there it is then," he said quietly.

"Let us not get ahead of ourselves, sir," Sebastian cautioned, sensing his Master's determination arise. "We must wait for the diagnosis."

"Why? He's only going to tell us what we already know," Ciel said.

"Maybe but maybe not," Sebastian shrugged. "We do not yet know enough about this character to face it head on. The strategy of just chasing after it obviously has not been successful for the Young Master."

Ciel sulked.

"It is apparent that the doctor has dealt with this 'Inky' before," Sebastian continued. "Or at least has some knowledge of how to deal with it. Once we learn more about it, we can create a point of attack. But right now it is imperative that you rest. The more agitated you are, the weaker your mind and body become. That is most likely how it is manipulating you in the first place."

"So this fever is not some sort of curse?" Ciel asked.

Sebastian pushed Ciel back down. "I doubt it," he said. "As I said earlier, the lethargy and headaches you were experiencing are signs of influenza. Then to make things worse, you caught that chill on the beach. But- and this is the last time I am going to say it, Young Master- we need an _educated opinion_. Preferably of the doctor sort."

Ciel impatiently sighed. "Nothing to do but wait then, eh?"

"It will only be twenty minutes," Sebastian assured him. "Thirty minutes at the most. He will arrive here before tea time concludes, I am sure of it."

"What have you prepared for my tea?" Ciel asked.

"Ah..." Sebastian dropped to one knee by Ciel's side. "In all of this excitement, I have not had the opportunity to ready your tea for you, my Lord. Please forgive me."

"It's quite alright," Ciel said. "To own the truth, I haven't much of an appetite anyway. And as much as I normally love it, I do not think I can handle the stimulating effect of tea at present."

"I could brew you a cup of chamomile and lavender," the Butler suggested. "Both are said to promote restfulness and relieve anxiety."

"That sounds much nicer," Ciel said. He put his arm over his eyes again. The pressure in his mind had started to manifest itself physically in the form of yet another headache.

"I will prepare that for you then, sir," Sebastian said. And so, the Butler steeped fresh blossoms in a small china cup for his sickly little Master as they both anticipated the arrival of the occultist doctor.


	10. Chapter 10: The Earl, Patient

**A Note to the Readers: Here, we turn our focus to Inky, its connexion to the fishing village and its past mayhem.**

* * *

Sebastian was correct in his assumption of the good doctor's appearance. The Young Master had barely finished the last splash of his herbal infusion when the sound of carriage wheels rang out betwixt the noise of the falling rain and thunder. Footsteps made their way up the sandy path and thudded against the driftwood landing. Sebastian opened the door for the doctor before he could even knock. The doctor stood at a grandiose height, even taller than the Butler, shrouded in a brown traveling coat and matching topper. He held in his right hand a leather carrier bag. The black umbrella he held above his head with his other hand did little to keep him dry. His broad shoulders, bag, boots, and even the bottom half of his trousers were soaked through and darkened with rainwater. He had kept his head down until then to shield his face from the storm, but he had looked up when Sebastian opened the door. His face was pale and dotted all over with fair freckles. His brow was heavy and rough, the eyebrows practically invisible, the small eyes beneath them deep set and golden brown.

"Good afternoon!" He greeted Sebastian. His accent seemed even thicker in person.

"Good afternoon, Doctor," Sebastian said. He stepped aside to allow the visitor entry to the cottage. He closed the door and helped the doctor remove his coat. "Thank you so much for coming here on such short notice and in this atrocious weather."

The doctor shook his head. He removed his hat, freeing the wiry ginger hair beneath, and set it atop a hook on the coat rack. "Think nothing of it," he said. "This is an emergency. What kind of doctor would I be if I did not do this much for my patients?"

Sebastian smiled. "I admire your pluck, Doctor O'Malley," he said.

"Speaking of patients," the doctor began looking around, "where is the boy?"

"Right here," Ciel said from the settee. The angle at which it was set made it difficult to see from the entrance whether or not it was occupied by a body.

"Ah!" The doctor smiled, clapped his hands together, and walked over to look at Ciel. He stood in front of the little Earl and his smiled dropped. "Ah..." he said. His face grew worried. He kneeled down in front of Ciel and asked, "What is your name, my boy?"

"_Earl_ Ciel Phantomhive," Ciel said sternly. He may have been on holiday, but he still required those below his standing, or above his standing, even, to address him properly and with respect.

The doctor's expression flipped to that of surprise but he quickly bowed his head to conceal his faux pas. "Forgive me for addressing you so informally, my Lord," he apologised. "I was unaware of you station."

"Which is exactly why it is no problem," Ciel told him. "But now that you are aware, we can proceed."

"Yes, we can," the doctor agreed. "I am Doctor O'Malley. I'll be testing your vital signs before we discuss your fever." The doctor opened his carrier bag and retrieved from it a slew of familiar tools. He tested Ciel's hearing, his pulse, his blood pressure, his vision. He checked his teeth, his ears, his eyes- the man was so good natured that he didn't even put up a fight when Ciel refused to remove his eye patch. As the doctor was listening to Ciel's heart he asked, "How long have you had a fever?"

"Two days," Ciel answered.

"And did you feel ill prior to it?"

"No. I was very tired and had frequent headaches, but I took those as a sign of stress not illness. That's why I'm here in the first place."

"On holiday, eh?" the doctor asked. He moved his stethoscope down Ciel's back and said, "Take a deep breath, sir." Ciel did as instructed. The doctor listened intently through the stethoscope. "Hmm. You have quite a bit of fluid in your lungs."

Both Ciel and Sebastian's eyes widened as they looked at each other.

"Have you been coughing up any phlegm or blood?"

Ciel shook his head.

"Do you have a respiratory issue?"

"I have asthma."

"I see," the doctor said. "You should know then that too much moisture in the air is detrimental to your lungs. Which makes the beach an awful place for you to be."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ciel said, looking over to the Butler. Sebastian nodded and made a mental note.

"I assume you are the butler, then?" the doctor asked.

"That I am, sir. You may call me Sebastian."

"Pleasure," the doctor smiled.

"Likewise." Sebastian bowed his head.

The doctor turned back to Ciel. "So, Earl," he said quietly and leaning forward, as though he meant to exchange secrets, "I was told that you have been having violent nightmares recently about a small, otherworldly creature. Would you please tell me about them?"

Ciel sighed. "Where do I start?" He was more asking himself that question but he was not annoyed when the doctor replied.

"How did the dreams begin? What sort of feeling were you left with upon waking?"

"At the start," Ciel began, "it was very polite. Kind, even. There was something absurdly childish about it. Nothing to be in fear of."

"And were you ill when the creature first visited you?"

Ciel looked to Sebastian. The Butler shrugged. "I felt more like I was on edge because of the pressures of my professional life," Ciel explained, "but Sebastian says that my daily migraines were most likely the beginning stages of influenza."

"And after the fever was upon you, did the dreams become worse?"

"Oh, yes," Ciel breathed.

Doctor O'Malley narrowed his eyes. "What sort of things happened in your dreams? I understand that you would act them out while still asleep."

Ciel hesitated. He could feel something inside of him resisting the need to tell the truth. He battled with his self-destructive subconscious as he struggled with finding a straight answer.

"My Lord," the doctor kept his voice low, "you must be entirely honest with me if I am to help you."

Ciel gulped down Inky's influence. 'Oh, no you don't,' he thought. "At first, it was stupid," he said out loud. "The pest only locked me in a cupboard. But at least when I awoke I was _actually_ in a cupboard. The other times... it tricked me."

"Tricked you?" O'Malley repeated. He studied Ciel's face closely, as if the words he was saying took on a physical form in the air before him.

"Yes," Ciel said. "After that, it fooled me into thinking that I was..." He looked over at Sebastian then back to the doctor. "... That I was cutting up my Butler's coat with a pair of fabric shears." Sebastian shifted and raised an eyebrow. "But," Ciel continued, "I was actually cutting my arm with a shaving razor." He then rolled up his sleeve to expose the gauze, spotted in a few places with splotches of fresh blood.

The doctor took in a sharp breath. "When did this happen?" he asked.

"Yesterday."

"And still it bleeds?" The doctor took hold of Ciel's arm and said, "May I unwrap it?" Ciel nodded and the Doctor unraveled the gauze and peeled away the tissue to observe the wound. "Right along the vein," he mumbled. He gingerly did up the bandage again and asked, "Was this the only... suicidal attempt?"

"I was not trying to kill myself!" Ciel barked.

The doctor jumped a bit but recovered swiftly. "That isn't what I meant," he said. "What I am trying to say is, was that the only attempt on your life using your own hand?"

"Oh..." Ciel said. "No. No, it wasn't. Earlier this afternoon it tried to drown me."

"Hence the excessive amount of fluid in your lungs," Doctor O'Malley commented. "As for the imagery in your dreams..."

Ciel squirmed. He didn't want to recall any of it, and yet he couldn't forget it. It was as though every time he closed his eyes, even if it were just for a brief moment in order to blink, he saw the tortured children and the parched earth. Their hellish limbo was burned onto his eyelids like the Mark of the Noble Beast on his back.

The doctor must have felt Ciel's discomfort for he said gently, "You do not have to go into detail, sir. I know exactly what is happening to you."

"You do?" Both Earl and Butler spoke at once.

"Yes," the doctor sighed. He seemed wary as he took a moment to collect himself. "This creature," he began, "did it invite you to live with it? Were there other children in its presence?"

Ciel nodded.

"My Lord," the doctor said in a much louder voice than he had been using, "do you consider yourself a religious man?"

Ciel looked over at Sebastian. "I am a believer of things unseen, yes," he answered.

"Good," O'Malley said, "then perhaps this news may not sound so ridiculous to you." Deep breath. "It is possession."

"Possession?" Again, Ciel and his Butler spoke in unison. Sebastian closed his eyes and shook his head. He was beyond disappointed. Leave it to humans to completely misinterpret the obvious. He could not hold their ignorance against them, though. That Doctor might be able to shed some light on Inky's history.

"Indeed," the doctor lowered his head gravely. "And by a very particular sort of demon as well. One hundred years ago, it wiped out over half of the children living in the village that used to stand here."

"There was a village where the cottage is?" Ciel asked.

"Aye," Doctor O'Malley said. "A small fishing port. One of those old-fashioned towns where everyone knew everybody else. Very quiet, civil. But then one day," the doctor's voice grew dark as he took his eyes away from Ciel to look off into the past, "the children of the town began to drop off one by one. It was at first believed to be an ill stroke of luck. Even in today's society, fever could mean death- even for those as fortunate as we. However." Doctor O'Malley stood from his kneeling position to sit beside Ciel. "It started becoming apparent that the fever not only ravaged the body of the victim, but also their mind. Children were found poisoned by their own hand, bobbing in the ocean, hanging from their necks in broom closets, and with other such-" he looked to Ciel's arm- "self injurious afflictions. All of them, despite their different modes of suicide, had one thing in common. Fevered nightmares of a demon who went by the name of 'Inky.'" Ciel started. "Is the name familiar to you?" the doctor asked sadly.

"It is," Ciel said. The Butler chuckled. One hundred years of that menace inflicting its madness and not once did it change its moniker. What an amateur.

"At a certain point," the doctor continued, "the townspeople called a meeting. The mayor, poor fool, wrote off the numerous tragic deaths as merely overheated brains. We all know how children have such vivid imaginations." The doctor rolled his eyes. "But a mourning mother stood from her chair and was the first to speak the truth.

"'My son did not go mad!' She hollered at the mayor. 'These children are victims of the Devil!'

"At first, everyone thought that she was the barking one, but she silenced them.

'"I am telling you all the truth!' She put her hands together and pleaded for sympathy. 'I am begging you all to listen to me. He was not himself in those last days...' She held back despairing tears. 'He would lunge at me and strike me with such a force that I did not know a small child could even possess. In the middle of the night, he would stand stock-still in the middle of his bedroom and mumble to himself. Finally, on his last day on earth... he came to me in such a state, with tears in his eyes and white as a ghost. Mummy!, he cried out to me, hiding his face in my breast. I do not want to go with them! I want to stay with you!, he had said. I had thought the same as you, mayor,' the woman had said contemptuously, 'and so, though concerned, I paid no mind to my child's words, but let him sleep with me in my bed that night. It was extremely late when I heard the alarm sound and noticed that he was not beside me-' The woman put a hand over her mouth to derail her sobs. 'My son was among the first to be pulled from the water!' she screamed. The woman beside the mother comforted her as her shoulders began to quake madly. Suddenly, she whipped around and pointed her finger at a man younger than she. 'Oliver!' she shouted at him. The man was startled by her aggressive tone. 'Tell them what happened to your Mary!'

"'Well,' the man began. He was a timid, quiet type with trembling blue eyes. 'In the days leading up to her... death... she completely isolated herself from the companionship of others. Whenever I would go near her, she would lash out against me, much like Gregory did to you,' he addressed the mother. 'Mary also spoke about joining the company of someone unknown to me. And before we knew it,' he took the hand of the young weeping woman, presumably his wife, who sat next to him, 'she was gone. Poisoned in her own bed. The toxic fluid stained her lips and fingers.'

"'My daughter's behaviour did not become as violent as the other unfortunates mentioned here,' an older man suddenly said from the back of the house, 'but she would mumble incessantly in her sleep. Something about ink.'

'"Yes!' the mother agreed. 'Inky- that was the name given to the wretched demon.'

"Suddenly, the hall was full of cries of agreement. Indeed, it seemed all of the children were aware of their impending demise, but were unable to defend themselves against one named 'Inky.' So, to quell the fear and misery of his citizens and to protect the lives of the remaining children, the mayor had all of the people pack their belongings and flee the port town."

"What drew them to the conclusion that the demon was somehow connected to the land?" Sebastian asked after the doctor had concluded his narrative.

The doctor shrugged. "They had exhausted their other options. Exorcisms had not worked on the children. Blessings showed no result. Holy relics, holy water, burning incense. Nothing."

Sebastian did a miraculous job of hiding it, but Ciel could tell by his raised eyebrows and tight mouth that he was laughing internally. Ciel could not help but feel superior to the little beast as well, just through association. But he kept playing along.

"What do I do then?" he asked.

"The same thing," the doctor said as he looked directly into Ciel's eye(s). "Leave. And leave now, before it's too late. You still have your wits about you. You're older and stronger than its other victims were."

"There isn't some sort of charm or-"

"Young Master," the Butler interrupted, "I feel that the good doctor has done his best for us. It is a very strange circumstance that you find yourself in and we must do everything necessary to protect you."

Ciel took the hint. He lowered his head and said, "Thank you, doctor. Though it saddens me that I cannot bring about an end to the creature, I can at least find comfort in the fact that I am not going mad."

The doctor smiled and put his hand on Ciel's shoulder. "I am glad," he said. He stood and spoke to Sebastian. "It really is best that you leave here this afternoon. The roads aren't completely unfit for travel. Especially if you had boarded a train at any point."

"We came from London," Sebastian answered.

"Then there should be no reason for delay," the doctor said. "The station is very close by." He packed away his tools, put on his coat and moved to leave. "I wish you both the best of luck. I will be praying for you." He placed his hat back on his head and nodded before walking out the door.

* * *

**p.s. Yes, it can also be spelled "connexion." I sometimes like to spell things using the Victorian variant- or at least the spellings during the latter half of the century. Because, why not. :D**


	11. Chapter 11: The Butler, Demonologist

Sebastian closed the door and laughed softly.

"Well, _that_ was a complete bust!" Ciel said loudly. "He didn't even take into consideration that Inky may not have caused my fever!"

"At least he did not prescribe you bed rest and broth soups," Sebastian said.

"No," Ciel sighed. "But his prescription is one that I cannot possibly abide by."

"You mean to do away with the pest yourself, sir?"

"Of course." Ciel stood and walked to the window to watch the downpour. "Those who attempt to destroy me, corporeal or not, should not expect to walk away without receiving punishment."

"What is you plan then, Young Master?" Sebastian asked.

Ciel turned to the Butler. "You seem to know what it is we're dealing with. This is the perfect opportunity to utilise your beastly knowledge."

"I do have an idea of what type of pest may be harassing you," Sebastian smiled. "But if I may first clarify a few questions I have." He held his chin with his right hand and his crooked elbow with the other. "The creature is very diminutive, yes?"

"It is," Ciel answered.

"Its behaviour is blatantly harmful, yet it insists that it does not want to hurt you."

Ciel nodded.

"And it is desperate for your attention and companionship."

"Desperate enough to kill me."

"That would do it." Sebastian put down his arms and looked straight at the Young Master. "It is an imp."

"An... imp?" Ciel raised an eyebrow. "As in, 'The Bottle Imp?'"

"Exactly," the Butler bowed his head. "Very good allusion, my Lord."

Ciel laughed shortly. He had just finished Stevenson's short story the night before. "But then that means that it has a physical form?" Ciel asked.

"Yes." The Butler seemed slightly worried. "That is why this is so disconcerting. The act of possessing a human requires a tremendous amount of strength. Imps are not physically very powerful at all so they must find other ways to wreak their havoc."

"So it manipulates my thoughts rather than my body."

"Correct," Sebastian said. "But because of their general weakness, it cannot be too far away from you. Yet I was never aware of its presence."

"I asked it why that was," Ciel said, "in my dreams. It said that it only revealed itself to those who were 'willing to share the space.' What does that mean?"

"It is a defence mechanism," Sebastian explained. "Much like a chameleon uses its ever-shifting skin to blend into its surroundings, an imp conceals itself from predators using magic." He pondered for a moment before he said, "Hmm... Those humans did have a few things right at least."

"Like what?"

"We are both here occupying its 'space,' as you say, and yet it only pursues you. It is much easier to manipulate you rather than me because you are a child," Sebastian said easily. "Because of your 'vivd imagination,' you do not automatically question things that seem impractical. Also, in dreams it is commonplace to readily accept a reality that you normally never would were you awake. And on top of all of that, you are extremely ill. Your head is in a vulnerable place- as were the heads of its other victims."

"Alright then," Ciel sullenly said. He did not much appreciate the generalisation of his brain function, but he let it go. "So this imp- it's not really a demon then?"

"Er..." Sebastian began. Normally he made it a point not to discuss those types of things with humans, but it was a special occasion. "'Demon' is a very broad term. Technically speaking, it is a demon." Ciel looked confused. "Think of it as the word 'dog,'" Sebastian put things in a context that the Master would understand. "A terrier is a dog. But so is a German Shepard. Also a Shiba-Inu. There are possibly more differences than there are similarities and yet they're all canines. They share a common ancestor."

"So then, Inky is also out to consume my soul?"

"No, no," Sebastian assured. "Even though it is a demon, it is the lowest of the low. Because it is not a resident of Hell, there is no need for it, and indeed it has no desire, to reap souls for Satan."

Ciel's confusion grew. "Why then are they considered to be demons?"

"When we Devils walk the Earth, we leave behind us much residual energy, you see," Sebastian explained. "This energy then collects in different places. Some of it goes on to corrupt already living things, but sometimes enough energy collects in the shadows that entirely new entities form- imps being among those. Depending on how much energy is present, an imp may be obscenely annoying but ultimately harmless, as they tend to be, or they can become very vicious, like Inky. They have all the malevolence of a Devil with nothing of the strength or purpose. Really a waste of space, they are."

Ciel sighed and shook his cloudy head. Too much information. "So," he began as he attempted to sift through the facts he had just been given to find an appropriate solution, "I assume exorcism would be ineffective."

"It would," said Sebastian. "Seeing as you are not truly possessed, as in your body is not being inhabited by anything other than your own self, exorcism would be quite pointless."

"What about banishment? There must be some kind of spell for that."

"I am sure there is," Sebastian said slowly, "but, if what you tell me is true, we are trespassers. We have no right to tell it to leave this place if this is indeed its home. Banishing charms are very strong forms of magick and they have hefty consequences, especially for a being like myself who is cut from the same cloth. We do not want to upset the Balance by using magick."

"What then can we do?" Ciel grew frustrated. "I will be damned! -again- if Inky walks away from this unscathed!"

"Perhaps I could accompany you into your dreams," Sebastian suggested.

"Beg pardon?"

"If I cannot detect its presence," Sebastian said, "it may very well be useless to try to sniff it out. However, since we know for a fact that it can directly influence you when you dream, who's to say we cannot try to reverse that affect?"

"Go on," Ciel urged.

"It is a bit of a long shot," Sebastian advised, so as to not get the Young Master's hopes up, "but if I make myself willing to 'share the space' and we fall asleep at the same moment, then it may appear to me as well."

Ciel laughed. "And then we just tell it to leave me alone, is that it?"

"Essentially," Sebastian said. Ciel stared at him. "What? Are you not curious to see what would happen? Besides, I thought you liked intimidation games."

"I have to say, though," Ciel said, "even after not sleeping a wink last night, I am not in the least bit tired."

"Just say the word, my Lord," Sebastian bowed. "I will put you to sleep."

"What? Are you going to give me a lecture on modern Russian architecture again?" Ciel joked.

"I was thinking of something a little more forward."

"Don't you dare say you'll sing me a lullaby!" Ciel pointed an accusatory finger at the Butler.

"There is a pressure point on the back of the neck," Sebastian explained, "that when pressed causes one to lose consciousness."

Ciel put his hand to his neck. "Sounds painful," he commented.

"Not at all," Sebastian said. "You will wake up with a nasty headache, though."

"I am very used to those," said Ciel. "But what about you?"

"I can fall asleep at will. No need to wonder about me."

"And what if Inky doesn't appear to you as well? What if it takes that opportunity to finish me off?"

"If I do not sense you or the other straight away, I will awaken myself and the Young Master immediately."

"Fine," Ciel consented at length. "But if this doesn't work and Inky ends up killing me, I blame you."

"As you should," Sebastian said.

"And you would not be allowed claim my soul."

"I am aware of our terms of agreement, sir."

"Then, Sebastian, I command you," Ciel recited the words that had become so reflexive for him, "send me off to meet this repulsive little imp, and follow after me."

Sebastian kneeled, placing his right hand over his heart. "Yes, my Lord." He lifted the Young Master and carried him back to the settee. He laid him out and propped his head up on a pillow. "'Goodnight, sweet prince, and may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.'" He grabbed the side of Ciel's neck and he was gone. "Now then," he said. He seated himself on the armchair and closed his eyes. Surely, if a mere imp could project its being into a dream willingly, the upper-most level of demon could do the same. There's a first time for everything, even for one as old as Sebastian. He took a deep breath and departed into the world of dreams.

* * *

**Note to the Readers: About all the demonology related bits? Yep. I made all that up. But it sounds pretty legit, right? :P**


	12. Chapter 12: The Earl, Infiltration

Ciel was in a dense wood. The surrounding space was the muted jet black that shrouds the midnight hour. It was eerily quiet. His ears were ringing and stuffed with silence.

"Sebastian?" he called out. No answer. He looked around, vainly searching for something familiar in the darkness. "Sebastian!" He called again. No reply. "If you're not going to come to me," Ciel shouted, "at least have the decency to keep your promise and wake me up!"

"There is no need to shout," a voice said from behind him. Ciel turned and saw Sebastian step lithely out of the darkness. "I can hear you just fine."

Ciel threw up his hands. "Why didn't you answer me when I first called you?" he demanded.

"It took a moment to fall asleep." Sebastian shrugged. "I wanted to be absolutely sure that I was in the right state of mind before I attempted to join you."

"It did work thus far," Ciel admitted.

"Does this place look familiar to you?" Sebastian asked.

Ciel carefully looked around. "Not really... there was a dream in which Inky and I were seated in a grove, though. Maybe we can find it. It's as good of a course as any at this point."

"As you wish, my Lord," Sebastian said. The two wandered off into the trees.

For a moment, the search seemed pointless. The only things that the pair ran into were gnarled trees and thick mud. Ciel had half a mind to order Sebastian to wake him up when he saw a glowing orange light through the trees.

"That might be the place up ahead," Ciel said. He stopped and turned to face Sebastian. "So... intimidation game, you said. Are we really going to do this?"

"Why not?" Sebastian asked. "I will have a demonic heart to heart with the beast. Perhaps we can come to some kind of agreement."

The two nodded at each other and powered forward. When they came onto the clearing, Inky was sat upon a familiar mossy bolder, surrounded by the imprisoned children. It was in its newly assumed form, complete with horned skin and elongated ears, cross-legged with the nails of each hand touching each other to form a steeple. A huge bonfire burned fiercely in the middle of the clearing.

"Hello, Ciel," it said calmly.

"Hello, Inky," Ciel coolly answered.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet your butler." Inky smiled at Sebastian.

"I have heard a lot about you," the Butler said.

Inky cocked its head and continued grinning. "Good things, I hope?"

"Unfortunately, no." Sebastian shook his head. "I have been told, and I have witnessed, that you were attempting to murder my Master."

"Oh, murder is such an _ugly_ word." Inky laughed and waved about its hands. "I was only helping to relieve him of his earthly bonds."

"Call it what you want," Sebastian argued, "but the fact remains that you were going to snuff out his life. This is a problem, you see, because, as you surely have realised by now, his soul belongs to me."

Inky feigned surprise, its eyes growing huge in its head. "Does it really?" Its voice was high and strained. "I had no idea!"

Sebastian laughed faintly. "Liar."

Inky shrugged. "Alright. Maybe I did figure it out." Ciel raised his eyebrows. Inky pointed to its own right eye. "I saw the mark of The Devil under that patch. You're not much of an angel at all, are you?"

"No, not really," Ciel said sweetly.

"So, you knew that the Master was already locked into an agreement," Sebastian began, "but you persisted anyway."

"Yes." Inky nodded.

"I have a question for you then, Inky." Sebastian stepped forward.

"Shoot."

Sebastian smiled. "Do you want to be annihilated?"

Inky laughed. It gazed at Sebastian for a moment before it said, "You're very selfish. Both of you." It looked back and forth between Earl and Butler.

"I was about to say the same of you," Sebastian commented. There was a short silence. Ciel tried his hardest not to look at the suffering children, but his good eye kept finding its way back to their sorrowful faces and pitiful forms. It was as though they were urging him to share their pain, though whether it was because they were begging for freedom or only meant to terrorise him, Ciel was unsure. Sebastian broke the quiet. "What then shall be done about this little predicament? I must say, I am not going to waste my time playing tug of war with you."

"Nor am I with you," Inky said. It looked at Ciel and said kindly, "I think we should leave it up to Ciel to decide."

Ciel quickly melted back into that warm, cozy place in which he was drinking that lovely wine, when suddenly there were large hands gripping his shoulders and shaking him roughly.

"My Lord!" Sebastian shouted. The Butler stood in front of him, his forced patience having completely vanished. "I do not believe that is such a wonderful idea!" He said tensely. He straightened up and rolled his shoulders. "On second thought, I think it may be best to merely slaughter you."

"Slaughter me?" At first Inky's face appeared incredulous but it quickly burst into a giddy laughing fit. "And how do you plan on doing that?" It hopped down from the bolder and walked closer to the Butler. "You didn't honestly expect to upstage me in my own space! I rule all!" It suddenly appeared on the tip of Ciel's nose, barely the size of a barnacle. "I can be supremely small!" It squeaked. It then shot backward and swelled to the stature of Goliath. "Or I can be huge!" Its stentorian voice shook the remaining leaves from the surrounding dying trees and made the earth grumble. It shrunk back down and split into multiples of itself. "I can be many!" The Inkies squawked in syncopation. It then snapped back into one singular form with a singularly cruel grin. "Or I can be one," it said in a low tone.

Ciel folded his arms and stepped closer to Sebastian. Maybe dream infiltration was not the best plan.

Inky shook its head like it had read Ciel's thoughts. "No," it said. "Besides." Inky advanced towards Ciel. "You already agreed to join us. And if we're all _so concerned _about honouring agreements, I will be taking you with me now."

Ciel started to suffocate. He was not being strangled, he did not feel like he was drowning again, he just could not breathe. It was like Inky was holding an invisible pillow over his face and was smothering him to death.

Sebastian rushed over to him. "Young Master?" He called. His voice sounded muffled and distant, like Ciel was hearing him through a telephone. Sebastian's eyes grew wide with worry before he disappeared.

"No!" Ciel choked. He meant to say, "Get back here!" But he hadn't the power to force the words out. His hand reached up to his throat as he sunk to his knees. Inky walked over to him and tilted his chin up to look at his face. It chuckled lightly and stroked Ciel's hair.

"You're not going anywhere this time, love," it said.

-%-

Just then, Ciel felt like his entire person was being submerged into ice water. Which is probably because it was. He awoke with a start while still underwater. He was being held by the Butler and being repeatedly dunked into the ocean. Ciel was already shouting before his head was even above the surface.

"What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing!?" He started squirming in Sebastian's arms.

"Forgive me, my Lord," the Butler said, "but you would not respond to me when I spoke to you. I had to awaken you somehow."

"I suppose splashing a simple cup of water in my face did not suffice!"

"If you must know, it did not."

Ciel shook the water from his hair and wiped his face with his hand before asking, "Is that why you vanished? You woke up?"

"Yes," Sebastian said. "It had become obvious to me that attempting to beat it at its own game was futile. It had complete control over its surroundings."

"Apparently not over you."

"Like I said," Sebastian smiled, "Imps are not terribly strong. Though it would not have been wise to test it in that state. One can be whatever one desires in Dreamland. I should have figured that going in, but it was worth a try." He left the water and took the Young Master back to the cottage.

"So. If we cannot banish him and we cannot control him while sleeping, does that mean we have to find him physically?" Ciel asked.

"That appears to be the only option left to us," Sebastian said. He turned the knob of the front door and pushed it slightly with his fingertips before turning around to open it fully with his back. Once inside, he closed the door by kicking at it backwards. "It would make sense as well. If dreams meant anything, it would have just killed you on its own rather than go the round about way of having you do it yourself."

"Speaking of which," Ciel said, "what _was_ I doing to myself?"

Sebastian laughed a bit. "You were holding your breath."

"... That's it?"

"That's it."

"Son of a bitch!" Ciel raged. "I _will_ catch Inky!"

Sebastian chuckled.

"Just what is so funny?" Ciel demanded to know.

"Only curious as to what the next plan is going to be," said Sebastian.

Ciel struggled in the Butler's arms until he let him down. "I will have you know that I have the perfect plan to lure it out of its hole."

"What would that be, sir?"

"We leave." Ciel smiled.

"Come again?"

"It's simple." Ciel folded his arms. "Inky is desperate to keep me around, yes? But due to the limits of its influence, it can only keep me under its power for so long. Though it has complete sway over me when I'm asleep, it cannot make me _fall _asleep. So, if I leave, there is a good chance it will follow to finish me off. Then you can slaughter it."

"Oh, I am looking forward to it," Sebastian said. "All together it seems a sound plan, Young Master. I suppose then that it is time to pack our things together and get a move on!" Sebastian sighed. "It really is such a pity, though."

"What is?" asked Ciel.

"I went through all this trouble to find the perfect little house in which the Young Master could rest his weary bones in secrecy, and then this debacle happens. I cannot help but feel slightly responsible for this mishap."

"You couldn't have possibly known," said Ciel. "And honestly, I am looking forward to returning to my regular schedule and sleeping in my own bed. And having to deal with only one demon. You lot are horribly tedious," Ciel added with a smirk.

After he was dressed, Ciel packed his trunk while Sebastian packed his own to save time. It wasn't incredibly difficult. Seeing as he hadn't even settled down in the first place, there wasn't much to put away. He drug his trunk out of his room and was met by the Butler in the hallway. He carried with him Ciel's autumn coat.

"It took a moment to find it," he said, holding up the coat. "But here it is. I suggest you wear it, my Lord. Remember what the doctor said. Even today, a fever can-"

"Yes, yes, I'm diseased, I get it." Ciel snatched the coat away and forced his limbs into it. It was sweltering against his sticky skin and the scratching wool caused his neck to become relentlessly itchy.

"I know it is uncomfortable," Sebastian said, noticing Ciel's sour expression, "but keeping warm will encourage the fever to break."

"Let's just go already!" Ciel said. He was impatient to deal with Inky and be gone. How ironic- that he left the manor in order to experience relaxation and it turned out that, at that current rate, the only way he'd be able to relax would be to go back home. He rolled his eyes. The Butler and the Master then left the quaint old cottage, locking the door behind them.

* * *

**Note to the Readers: You know what would be totally lame but kind of fun? If I pulled an oracle card and read its fortune for the followers on Halloween. Just a silly thought!**


	13. Chapter 13: The Butler, Pursuit

**The Chase Is On!**

* * *

It was still raining heavily, and because Sebastian was carrying the trunks, he insisted that the Young Master take ahold of the umbrella to keep himself dry.

"I will be driving to the station in this weather anyway," Sebastian had said, "might as well have a bit of a pre-soak. Besides, I cannot become ill."

The Butler was completely sodden by the time the two had reached the stable. As he readied the horse and carriage, the horse behaved oddly upset. She plucked up her hooves and clopped them back down again and nickered apprehensively, her ears perked and her eyes rolling about erratically. Sebastian stroked her nose and looked into her eyes as the horse repeatedly threw up and down her head.

"What is the matter, girl?" he asked. He then heard a strange, nasal laughter coming from behind him. He turned and saw a black shadow outside disappear under the window.

The Young Master had been at the door of the carriage waiting to be helped inside. He, too, noticed the horse's perturbation and Sebastian's confusion. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"No, sir." Sebastian shook his head. He finished securing the horse's saddle to the harness and moved to assist the Young Master into the carriage. "I think that this plan is going to be very successful," he whispered to the Master. Ciel smiled coyly, took Sebastian's lent hand and stepped inside. Sebastian closed the door and assumed his position at the driver's post.

As the two trotted on through the walloping rain, Ciel kept watch through the window at the quickly passing trees. On any other day, he might have written off what he was seeing as a trick of the light, but he knew for a fact that he was being pursued. A figure sporting talon like claws and large pointed ears materialised in various different locations, illuminated by the blue-white lightening like a horror vignette at a penny theatre_(1)_. The branches of the near naked trees appeared to morph into twisted hands. The screaming wind reflected the wails of the nightmare children. Ciel wanted to look away but then he remembered that he meant for Inky to find him.

"Come out to play, new friend," Ciel whispered inaudibly. He continued to scope out the demonic figure amongst the trees.

Despite the unsettling fact that they were being stalked, the trip itself was going fairly smoothly. There were large, deep puddles and slick mud that Sebastian skillfully avoided, but aside from those things the roads were not especially treacherous. But then, underneath a gobbet of muck, was a knobby tree root that jutted out almost to the middle of the road. Though the Butler tried his best to avoid it, the horse's hooves and carriage's wheels were moving with simply too much speed along the slippery road to dodge it completely. The horse stumbled over itself and whinnied loudly at the shock and pain. It shot into a gallop as the carriage moved over the root. Because of the sudden jolt, the back left wheel was caught by the root which flipped the carriage onto its side. Sebastian had attempted to hold onto the mare, but released the reins to prevent her from dragging the carriage any further. As he fell off the seat, he watched the horse sprint away as though running for her life. But that was not what immediately concerned him.

Ciel had been sitting comfortably in the blue cushioned seat of the carriage when the accident occurred. Just before the carriage toppled over, he heard a voice call to him intimately so only he would hear, "I thought I told you that you were not to leave me." For a split second, Ciel saw Inky's silhouette flash so closely by his window that it was a wonder it did not decide to reach in and snatch Ciel right then. He then felt the carriage rock back and forth as the horse lost her footing. As she galloped forward, there was a loud snapping sound, which could have only been the harness. Something then grabbed hold of a wheel (Ciel was told that it was a root, but he remains convinced that Inky plotted the whole thing and held the wheel itself) that caused the carriage to swing around it like an axis, forcing it to fall onto its side. Ciel was lifted up from his seat and thrown against the wall like a malfunctioning toy being discarded by a spoilt child. Mud splashed in through the window and found its way into his good eye. He blinked rapidly to restore his vision, but the wet earth irritated his eye to the point of being completely unable to open. He pushed himself up on his palms but swayed unsteadily. Not only was he blinded, but the accident struck him with a severe vertigo.

"Young Master!" He heard Sebastian shout. He felt large hands underneath his arms pull him up and out of the wreckage. As he was placed on his own feet, Ciel reeled uneasily. Earl and Butler held tightly to each other's forearms to steady the former. "Are you alright?" asked Sebastian.

Ciel continued blinking hard to cleanse away the mud. It was made a bit easier with the aid of the rain water. "I believe so," answered he. "But I am very dizzy." Then, again, Ciel saw the dark figure of his pursuer behind the Butler's shoulder. He grabbed the pistol from the holster he wore around his hips and aimed as well as his sliding vision would allow. The barrel was right beside Sebastian's ear. "Get down," Ciel told him. The Butler obeyed and the bullet sailed cleanly through the rain, leaving behind it the signature spark of light and puff of sulfurous smoke. As quickly as the shot went off, the shadow vanished, leaving the bullet to wedge itself into a tree trunk. It then reappeared to Ciel's right, snickering loudly, partially concealed by a bush. Again, Ciel aimed and shot, that time right over the kneeling Butler's head and again the shadow disappeared. As it showed itself once more to Ciel's left, the Butler grabbed his Master's arm before the trigger was pulled.

"Young Master!" He said loudly. "This is not a game of whac-a-mole_(2)_! Point the imp out to me and I will capture it myself!"

"There!" Ciel pointed to Inky's new hiding place only to see it gone, leaving quivering leaves where it once stood. Then, a low lying branch of a crooked tree behind Ciel drew back and smacked him square between his shoulder blades, forcing out of him a grunt. Sebastian's head shot upwards, his eyes scanned the trees. Ciel watched his pupils become feline and mercilessly dark. They then dilated for a split second before he sprang into the foliage, reminding Ciel of a cricket or praying mantis what with those long limbs and pointed coat tails.

Ciel spun around and watched the chase of two unusually dark shadows, one scrambling and compact in comparison with its hunter- a savage, sweeping shadow that seemed to grow larger and more like coal smoke every second. Its being reached out to the surrounding leaves and absorbed the dark around it, consuming it hungrily, unlike the smaller of the two, which became more and more difficult to see as it appeared to be swallowed up with the blackness. A smoky tendril of a finger then reached out and coiled firmly around the small shadow's entire form. The mammoth of a figure then quickly dissipated into a more streamline and familiar outline of a man- not as though the former figure was unfamiliar to Ciel. As the shadow steadily moved out of the woods and onto the road, it revealed itself to be the Butler carrying Inky by its ankles, wriggling wildly as a newly caught trout. Although, it couldn't have been Inky. It was even smaller than it had been in Ciel's dreams! But as it turned its face around to snarl at him, there was no mistaking that it was indeed the imp who had tried to murder him. Though it was horned and its teeth were pointed, it reminded Ciel more of a teething kitten that had gotten into a thornbush than a bloodthirsty demon. He tried not to laugh at its over compensation. Do not underestimate the enemy.

"I believe this was the one whom you were waiting for, Master?" Sebastian said. His usual pleased smile sprang to his features, his eyes closed- not unlike a dog that had caught a rabbit and brought the bloody kill to its master's doorstep as a present. Ciel obviously did not think his Butler an enemy, but it would still be unwise to laugh at him.

"Indeed it is," said Ciel in a controlled tone. He stepped up to Inky and leaned over to look into its eyes. "Care to explain yourself, little one?"

Inky spat on the ground. "What's there to explain?" Its voice, even, was smaller than it had made Ciel believe. It squeaked like an old wooden drawer.

"You can start with your Napoleon Complex."

"Young Master."

"Right. How about you tell me why, after you knew the true nature of the one who holds you, did you continue to harm me? Did you honestly think that you would be a match for him? Or me?"

Inky shrugged. "Not really. But the chase made things more fun."

"And what kind of fulfillment would you receive if you had been successful?" Ciel asked.

"New faces make everyday life more interesting," Inky stated like a universally known fact. It crossed its arms. "My children grow weary of the same company."

"That is something that I was curious to know," the Butler joined in. "How is it that a lower level demon like yourself is able to harbour so many souls?"

Inky shook its head and pulled its pointer finger and thumb across its closed lips, like fastening a zipper.

"I see," the Butler said. He then shook Inky about like he was drying a soaked tea towel.

Inky's limbs flew this way and that, its neck snapping back and forth, before it said, "Alright, alright! If I tell you, will you stop hurting me?" The Butler quit his abuse. "Thank you," Inky huffed. It combed its nails through its hair as though that were somehow going to make it more presentable. "If you must know, I can't 'harbour souls.' The reason I am able to control the children is because they're not actually dead yet."

* * *

**Cliffhangerrrrrr!**

**(1) Foreshadowing of my next fanfiction, question mark, question mark?**

**(2) I know that whac-a-mole wasn't invented until the '70s. Just go with it.**


	14. Chapter 14: The Earl, In Memoriam

"WHAT?!" The Earl and his Butler shouted.

"They're sleeping," Inky smiled. "Sleeping soundly. Just like you were, angel."

Ciel shook his head. "But the doctor told us that the children were found dead."

"No, no, no, they were found _almost_ dead. Those particular children he spoke of have actually been dead for a very long time, but I have since made new friends. As I'm sure you know, Devil, humans miss such obvious signs of life."

Sebastian smiled. "That they do."

"But how did you manage to pull off such a hoax?" asked Ciel.

"Poison," Inky simply said. "Conium. You may know it as hemlock. In small doses it can mock the symptoms of death without actually causing it, making it the perfect tool. I had the children stage their own deaths to avoid murder investigations, then I visited them in the morgue with the poison."

"That is actually quite clever," the Butler mused with a faraway grin.

"Sebastian!" Ciel scolded. "Then, I presume, you resurrected them and shacked them all up in a place where you could keep them in perpetual slumber."

"Oh, no!" Inky laughed. The sound was difficult to describe. It was like a pair of latex gloves rubbing against each other. "That would have been much too tiring! And they would have grown old eventually. Old people are just no fun at all and displeasing to look at besides."

"What then did you do?" Ciel asked.

"..." Inky remained silent. Its large eyeballs refused to stay fixated on any one thing for too long.

"Oh, dear g-d." Ciel's stomach turned as the realisation crept out at him. "You left them in the ground to die."

Inky shrugged. It showed not a drop of remorse. "They're human. They wind up there in time anyway."

"When that time should be is not for you to decide!" Ciel's voice rose considerably. "Burying people alive for the sake of a playdate. Hideous."

"What's it to you?" Inky sneered. "They're not your friends. They're _mine_."

"The children I saw," Ciel said, choosing to ignore Inky's last speech, "are they still alive?"

"They are indeed. Otherwise you would not have had the pleasure of meeting them."

"Show me to them."

Inky glared at him. "I am not doing anything else for you, you stupid, selfish little boy!"

Sebastian shook it again, even rougher than he had before, but Inky only crossed its arms and did not respond. The Butler looked to his Master. The Master shrugged.

"Well then," Sebastian said, "I suppose I have no choice but to rip your heart out."

"No!" Inky looked up at its captor with desperation. "If I lead you to them, you have to let me go. I swear that if you do, I will quit following you."

Ciel thought for a moment. "Hmm. Can I trust the word of my murderer?"

"Oh, I am sure that Inky will keep its promise." Sebastian lifted up the little demon so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "If it knows what is good for it." Inky's eyes then turned to Ciel to silently plead with him.

"Very well," Ciel consented out of curiosity. "But you are to remain restrained and will give us verbal directions to the grave site. We would not want to see you running off now, would we?"

"No, sir," said Inky- partly being sarcastic, partly still begging for its life. "This way then. We can cut through the woods. There's no path, it's not meant for traveling, but you'll have more shelter from the rain this way."

As predicted the trip was tiresome- stepping over fallen branches, being poked between the ribs by sticks, faces being scratched, clothing being pulled. Inky's directions didn't make things anymore comfortable either. They were riddled with twists and turns. Ciel could have sworn that they were being led in circles until the trees began to thin out and the rocky ground gave way to clipped grass. The three had come into a small village, not unlike the one in Ciel's dreams. Except the artisans of that particular town carted about various types of breads and cheeses instead of fish.

"So this is your current plague-ridden playground?" Sebastian asked.

"This one and others," Inky answered lightly. "I've learnt over the years not to take out too many too quickly- especially not in the same spot. As stupid as humans can be, with all of their new medical tools my methods are becoming more curable."

"Poor you," said Ciel.

Inky glowered. "The graveyard is this way. We should avoid being seen."

"That won't be a problem." Ciel and the Butler exchanged dark smiles. "We are very used to concealing ourselves in the shadows."

The odd trio skillfully navigated themselves through back alleys, ducking behind rubbish bins and hiding in doorways. There eventually came into their sight a sad looking graveyard on a slightly sloped hill. They looked around first for any residents before darting through the open entrance gate.

The stones were thin and crooked with many names, dates and blessings worn off from weather. The ones that were flat against the ground were sinking into the earth and mostly covered with dirt and dried grass. Shiny black insects scuttled in and out of the cracks in the stones. As they walked up the path that parted through the middle of the cemetery, Ciel noticed that many of the stones belonged to children.

"I assume that this graveyard used to belong to the fishing port," Ciel said.

Inky smiled snidely. "How did you guess?"

They came onto a row of five fresh graves. They all shared two surnames, Jones and Murphy.

"This village was impossibly easy," Inky proudly said. "The doctors chalked it up to be some kind of genetic predisposition to madness! HA! Oh, humans and their fascination with psychology. Isn't that right, Sebastian?"

"Just because I admire your morbid methods, do not expect to make a friend of me, imp," said the Butler. Inky looked disappointed.

Ciel stepped forward and kneeled to look at the headstones. The one right before him belonged to a Mary Anne Jones, aged seven years. There was a small lamb laying atop of her stone, a figure that adorned many of the others in the cemetery. After further inspection, Ciel bowed his head. She, and the others, had been six feet under for almost one month. Even if he had felt the desire to free them, which maybe he did or maybe he did not, how much life had they left in them? Going that long without sustenance or sufficient oxygen... And if life they had left, what of their sanity? What becomes of a human that spent a month of their childhood buried alive? They had another day of life at the most. Ciel shuddered. He had been about a hair's width distance away from joining them.

"They are quite doomed," Inky said with faux sentiment. "I honestly don't know why you wanted to come here."

"I suppose I needed to see it for myself," Ciel said quietly.

"Did you intend to save them?" The Butler asked. Surprisingly, he did not sound at all smug about it- only curious.

Ciel hesitated with his answer. "Truthfully? I am not sure. If it were possible... I suppose I would have. Nothing would please me more at this moment than to steal away the company of my new friend. However, I do not see the purpose of reawakening these lost souls." He stood and brushed away the yellowed grass that stuck to his damp knees. "The only thing to deal with now-" Ciel turned to see that Sebastian had hidden Inky behind his back. The two were faced with a married couple. The woman was crying raggedly into a soiled white handkerchief and the man's face was drawn and grey. He had his right arm around his wife's shoulders. As he noticed the Earl and his Butler standing by the new graves, his expression switched from anguish to wretched anger.

"Can I help you with something?" His tone was harsh, though his voice noticeably shook with emotion.

For a moment, Ciel deliberated telling them that their child was alive still. That, if they hurry, they could hold him or her in their arms once more, stroke their hair, kiss their cheeks. Plead for their forgiveness, which would most definitely be necessary. What a cruel and foolish thing that would have been to do.

"No," Ciel said. "No. We are merely tourists. Extremely lost."

"You should not be out in the rain, my boy." The woman had looked up to Ciel and spoke in a whimper. She gazed longingly at him. She could not help her mothering instinct as she reached out to touch his face. "You look so ill. This weather cannot be good for your health. Please, sir." She turned to appeal to Sebastian. "Take good care of your son. You don't realise how precious he is-" She slapped her hand over her mouth as she again broke down in convulsive sobs. The husband hugged her close and rubbed her back, whispered her name over and over. Ciel excused himself lamely and the three left the couple to mourn. "Take care of him!" The woman cried after them. Ciel could not help but feel a twang of sympathy for her. But it was best that she did not know. Ciel, Sebastian and Inky hid themselves in the trees once more.

"Now." Ciel collected himself before he continued with what he was saying prior to being interrupted by the couple. "We are faced with the question of how to deal with this pest."

"'How to deal with this pest?'" Inky swung itself back and forth. "We agreed that if I showed you to the graves you would let me go!"

Ciel shrugged. "I suppose seeing it with my own eyes, both the children and their kin, has changed my mind. There is really no point in allowing you to continue this chain."

Inky scoffed at him. "Well, aren't you the little martyr."

"Hardly." Ciel bent down to Inky's level again. "A martyr would justify his reasons by insisting that he is only acting on behalf of the Greater Good. I do no such thing. I simply do not like you and cannot suffer having to share this world with you after you attempted to kill me for the sake of momentarily relieving your own pathetic loneliness. You're not much better than a human in that way, are you?" Inky gasped with shock and offense. Ciel looked up at the Butler. "What did you say you were going to do, Sebastian? Rip its heart out?"

Inky's eyes bulged as it looked at Sebastian from upside down. "You wouldn't do that, would you?" It implored. "Come now. You may have a contract with this human, but we are practically family! Really! I swear to Our God that I will not bother either of you ever again." It smiled broadly and drew an X over its chest. "Cross my heart- which shouldn't be ripped out."

The Earl and the Butler looked at each other. Slowly, they shook their heads.

"You are a liar, Inky," the Butler said. "And frankly, there are enough monsters after my Young Master. He does not need another headache to deal with. You should not have tested us." With that, Sebastian plunged his pointer and middle fingers into Inky's chest. The imp cried out a forced, strangled sound- a cross between something like a newborn baby and a pig being slaughtered. Ciel heard its bones crack like thin ice. Its blood was a dark, sinful red, nearly black. As it poured from the wound, Inky's body shriveled up automatically like the only thing that supported its internal structure was its blood. Its face shrunk away from its bones until its skull was almost completely visible through its near transparent skin, its teeth made to look longer due to the absence of its flesh. Sebastian pulled out its tiny grey heart. It was bound by ropy veins of blue and pink that at first pulled tight and then sprang loose like elastic when they were ripped from their connecting valves. After inspecting the heart like a jeweler would a diamond, Sebastian crushed the thing like an overripe fig in the palm of his hand, staining his bone white satin gloves with reddish black. Ciel did not know whether he felt horrified or wildly intrigued. He expected that he was experiencing a healthy combination of both emotions, which was normally the case when with the Butler. So there they were. In the rain, Ciel feverish and clammy, the Butler holding a dead demon in his bloody hands.

"I suppose that I should dispose of this." Sebastian began looking around the forest ground for a spot to deposit the remains when Ciel stopped him.

"Wait a minute. I think it would be best to pay our respects and make it feel more at home in its final resting place."

-%-

The two found themselves back on the beach by the little cottage. Sebastian drew back his arm and flung Inky's corpse out into the ocean. It had soared so far away that Ciel neither heard nor saw a splash of water.

"And now it's done," he said. It had stopped raining while they were trekking back to the beach and the sun was beginning to sink down towards the bottom of the sky again, colouring the atmosphere with pale pastel shades that announce the closure of another day. Though most of the bulky rain clouds had dissipated, it was still cold. Ciel put up his collar to shield his neck from the chill. There was silence.

"We could stay here now, my Lord," Sebastian said. "Now that the nasty little beast is gone, you can have some peace and quiet at last."

Ciel shook his head. "No, thank you. I do not think that I could relax here after that particular run-in. Besides, we already packed to leave."

"Speaking of which," Sebastian said as he removed his sullied gloves, "we need to find our way back to the carriage and our trunks. Not to mention locate the horse."

Ciel waved his hand. "Forget the horse. I am sure someone has already found her by now. I grow weary of playing games here. I want to go home, dry off and go to bed. You can manage to get us there without the aid of trains and carriages and all of that nonsense, can you not?"

Sebastian smiled. "I am the butler of the Phatomhive family. It goes without saying that I can manage that much."

* * *

**Oh my goodness. I can't believe the next chapter is the last one. It almost makes me a little sad, for some strange reason. :(**


	15. Chapter 15: The Earl, As It Should Be

**Note to the Readers: And so our story comes to a conclusion. Thank you so much to those of you who read (which, if the "view" statistics are at all trustworthy, there are about one hundred of you- _holy hell_) and for those who reviewed/followed/favourited. I have to say, I felt a bit iffy posting a story that was in no way romantic, as that is obviously the favourite genre around these parts. But I think that twenty-one follows and fourteen favourites is pretty good for a first try! I'm pretty sure I personally replied to everyone who reviewed- and if I didn't, feel free to berate me via private message (or via review, if you want to embarrass me. :P) I believe I'll post my next Kuro fiction by the end of next week. As I'm not done with it yet, I most likely won't update _nearly_ as frequently as I did with this one. Anyway, I'm rambling. Thanks again! It's been real. Cucumber sandwiches and tea for you all. -Silvia**

* * *

With a quiet thud, Sebastian landed in front of the Phantomhive Manor, carting the Young Master in one arm and the corded together trunks in the other. Ciel exhaled for the first time in two days. Ah, home again. And everything looked intact! Although he tried not to get ahead of himself. He had not yet been inside. As if sharing the same thought, both servant and master braced themselves before walking through the front door.

No broken china or windows, polished floor, watered plants. So far so good. Yes, yes, it had only been two measly days but things tend to go awry when Sebastian does not oversee chores. The Butler was in the process of lifting up the area rugs and searching for any pieces of smashed pottery when Mister Tanaka appeared before them. He looked to be collected but confused.

"... Hullo, Mister Sebastian. Young Master." He bowed gracefully. "You two are back very soon." He approached Ciel respectfully but with much concern. "Young Master, if I may say, you do not seem to be in the best of health."

"I have a fever so I came home," Ciel said dismissively. "Now, if you would please excuse me-"

"Young Master!" Finny rushed into the entryway. His eyes expanded to occupy most of the room on his face and he grew pale with worry. "You look like you've come down with somethin' horrible!" Baldroy and Maylene flew in to join him. Had they been eavesdropping? Or were they merely connected at the hip?

Baldroy whistled. "Typhoid," he mumbled. "I've seen this a million times in my platoon. We've got to get him some dry socks and Carnation Milk STAT!"

"Poor thing! 'e's sick as a dog, 'e is!" Maylene cried.

"Somebody should call a doctor! ...says Emily," Snaked commented from the corner.

While the bumbling brigade shouted out their plans for action, Ciel completely ignored their talk, refusing to answer all questions or to speak with any one of them. He strode to his bedroom and once inside, flopped down on his mattress. The smell of fresh linens. The duet of sparrows outside his window. The setting sun painting his room a warming shade of gold. Aaahhh... finally. A little peace.

A knock upon his door awoke Ciel. He looked down and saw that he had been dressed in his nightshirt. At what point had that happened? Ninja demon butler.

"Come in," Ciel called. Sebastian entered carting a tea set, newspaper and a bowl of broth soup. Of course. It had to happen sooner or later.

"Mister Tanaka insisted that you eat this," said Sebastian as he noticed Ciel's eyes roll. "I also brewed you elderberry tea. It has been used for hundreds of years to benefit the immune system." He came to Ciel's bedside and put a hand on his forehead. "It seems that your fever has broken," he said. "Perhaps coming home was the best decision."

Ciel yawned. "What time is it?"

"Nine o'clock," Sebastian answered.

"In the morning?"

"Yes. You slept all night."

"Hmph." Ciel sat up as the Butler propped up his pillows. "Did anything happen while we were away?"

"Apparently there were quite a few missionaries selling Bibles-"

"Ew."

Sebastian chuckled. "But other than that, it was very quiet."

"Almost makes me wish I hadn't left at all."

"Would you like to try to go somewhere else?"

"I already said no," Ciel said strictly. He sipped at his tea. "I'm eager to get back to work. I'm feeling inspired."

Sebastian tilted his head. "Are you? What do you mean to create?"

"A board game. About a mischievous creature..."

-%-

_Funtom Company Presents_

**BEWARE OF IMP**

~The Board Game~

**ONLY FOR THE BRAVE!**

*Travel through the Tundry Wood on a fantastical manhunt!

*Investigate the mysterious disappearances of the villagers!

*Solve riddles and unravel schemes!

*Catch the imp before IT catches YOU!

-for two or more players, ages ten and older-

_Praise for "Beware of Imp"_

"Another chilling game from Funtom Company! Absolutely the perfect form of entertainment for my Hallow's Eve party- or any party, really!"

"A wonderful comeback after the lukewarm model train release. As expected from Funtom."

"Fun for my children- we parents as well. Much more interesting than your average parlour board game."

"Thrillingly macabre, devilishly playful and beautifully crafted, 'Beware of Imp' is Funtom's crowning jewel in its line of Gothic games. From the creative plot to the comprehensible directions and ease of play, this game is sensible both for the children and the parents alike!"

... And so on.

-%-

Ciel folded up the paper and leaned back in his chair. Now, even though he always read whatever review found its way into his hands, he never made a habit keeping said reviews like medals for a job well done. He never felt the need to validate his work in such a way. But something about that particular situation compelled him to seek the file containing his new game's story board and hide it safely as a reminder that Funtom (and indeed, Phantomhive) never stays knocked down for too long. He looked at the original caricature of Inky that he had sketched and imagined its tiny, heartless little corpse bobbing about in the ocean. He laughed to himself.

The Butler then rapped at his study door. "Your tea, my Lord," he called.

"Come in."

Upon the tea cart was a purple, cobalt, gold and white tea set, very stout and Oriental looking. "Today I have brought for the Young Master Russian caravan tea- very smoky and rich, comprised mainly of Niligri with a hint of Lapsang Souchong. As for your snack, I have prepared a warm apple gallete with spiced chantilly cream."

Ciel grinned. As it should be.

_**End.**_


End file.
